Kenyans will have the chance to enjoy free access to all game parks and reserves on Saturday, September 28, 2024, as part of the celebration of UN World Tourism Week.
The announcement was made by Tourism Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano, who encouraged Kenyans to take advantage of this opportunity while adhering to the code of conduct during their visits.
The event, which will run from Monday, September 23 to Friday, September 27, will be hosted in Kisumu.
"Allow me to remind all of us that Kenya will join the global fraternity to celebrate the UN World Tourism Week. The event will be held in Kisumu."
"I encourage Kenyans to show up in their numbers and implore them to observe the laid down code of conduct as they tour our parks and reserves," Miano said.
Miano announced the good news on Sunday, September 22, the day the world celebrates Rhino Day.
The theme of this year’s World Rhino Day is “Keep the Five Alive”, a reminder of the number of species of a rare and truly magnificent herbivore.
In a statement, Miano said on a global scale, Kenya is an important habitat for rhinos, hosting 80 per cent of the eastern black rhino subspecies distributed across eight national parks.
These are Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Sera Community Conservancy and five private sanctuaries within Laikipia region.
Laikipia is home to more than half of Kenya's total rhino population.
"Besides being a key tourist attraction, rhinos afford support to communities involved in conservation, an opportunity that aligns perfectly with the current administration’s Bottom Up Economic Transformation Agenda," she said.
Miano said the Government has developed laws and policies that favour the quest to secure wildlife resources for current and future generations.
This includes domesticating Multilateral environmental agreements (MEA’s) such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
"I assure the global community that Kenya will continue to play her rightful role in wildlife conservation while laying special emphasis on rhino range expansion and conservation."
