The Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) has supported the move by the Narok county government to ban private vehicles for game drives at the world-famous Maasai Mara Game Reserve.
KNCCI South Rift National Director David Mpatiany said that the initiatives will help uplift the living standards of the people residing around the park because it will give opportunities to those who own trucks, vans and Land Cruisers to carry tourists within the park.
Speaking to the Star on the phone on Monday, Mpatiany commended the devolved unit for ensuring that the residents are also benefiting from tourism proceeds as they will get a chance to purchase safari vehicles.
“These people are custodians of this park and our great grandfathers sacrificed the land for the conservation of the wild animals and their descendants should get what is rightfully for them,” Mpatiany said.
He added that the residents are the ones who understand better the terrain of the Mara, unlike visitors who risk their lives and those of their visitors because they are not familiar with the park.
“Our local people even know how to get the wild animals quickly, especially the big four species which the tourists want to see before any other animals and the Maasai community knows because they have been living with these animals since time immemorial,” he said.
The director also lamented that the locals’ drivers and tour guides have experience in the work and it is now time for them to execute their duties well without any competition.
"The drivers and tour guides who happened to be the members of the chambers have capabilities to own these vehicles and run these businesses while others are already owning them," he said.
In a notice issued by Chief Park Administrator Alex Nabaala and issued to all the stakeholders last week, they said that the vehicles that will be used for the game drives within the park are only the safari trucks, safari land cruisers and safari vans.
They said that this is in line with the implementation of the Maasai Mara Management Plan which banned the usage of private vehicles for game drives.
However, Mpatiany called on the county government to put up a strategy that will ensure that the Maasai community are not exploited by the other people whose interests are to benefit themselves at the expense of residents.
“We need the locals to start forming saccos so that they can operate the businesses in an orderly manner without undermining each other and avoid unnecessary competition from any quarter,” said the KNCCI official.
He said that the putting of saccos will also attract the tourists because by doing that their safety and security are guaranteed during the time they are in game driving safaris.
“By forming saccos, those who will bring the tourists to the gates of the park, are assured that their guests are safe during that there in the park because what we don’t want is insecurity issues where people who bad intentions will want to ruin the reputation of the local drivers and tour guides,” Mpatiany said.
