Tourists stranded as rowdy youths wreak havoc

Narok, Kenya: Hundreds of tourists destined for the Masai Mara Game Reserve yesterday missed their scheduled activities after rampaging youths protesting the arrest of five Narok County leaders opposed to Governor Samuel Tunai blocked the Narok-Mara road.

Visitors from various parts of the world missed the game drives, hot air balloon expeditions and meals, among other packages they had already paid for.

They blocked the section of the 72km road leading to Sekenani Gate using boulders, metal scraps and posts at Ewaso Nyiro Trading Centre, 12km from Narok town.

Those interviewed complained of spending over nine hours on the road. They demanded refunds from the lodges and tented camps where they had been booked.

"I have never seen anything like this. Imagine after planning for an exciting visit it is cut short by hooligans!" said Pircher Helmut from Dusseldorf, Germany.

"It is shameful that politics of the day has been dragged into an important sector of Kenya's national economy. Why does the Government let rowdy locals lay siege on the goose that lays the golden eggs?" he asked.

The youths had in the morning overwhelmed security personnel comprising the General Service Unit (GSU), regular and administration police, forcing them to retreat.

Security co-ordination

Unlike Monday's demonstration, the latest one lacked security co-ordination with protesters outwitting security personnel in what turned out to be a cat-and-mouse game.

Graf Indra from Zurich, Switzerland said tourists from that country who had planned to visit the country have cancelled their plans, adding that the tourism industry will not recover in the near future if the recent upsurge of violence in the country is anything to go by.

Tour operators warned that if violence is not tamed, the tourism industry will take a huge hit and jobs will be lost, and this could have a negative impact to the economy. Tourism is the second foreign exchange earner after tea.

"We have been fighting for the revival of the industry but it is sad that when things look good, violence erupts and rolls back the gains," said James Njoroge, a tour guide with Eco Tourism Africa. Hoteliers in the reserve told The Standard that following the incident, there have been massive booking cancellations and asked the Government to resolve leadership wrangles in Narok County.