Park owners demand permits

The Kenya Wildlife Service has been accused of frustrating the owners of game sanctuaries by denying them licences.

Proprietors of the parks said they had not benefited from their facilities as they had failed to get permits to operate.

“I have been a snake handler for more than 40 years and yet I have been denied a licence,” said Mr Jackson Iha, whose park is located at Mtwapa.

“We are conservationists and we love animals, that’s why we have invested a lot in these facilities, but without licences we cannot move forward,” said Mr Gerald Macharia ,who runs a snake park near Tsavo East National Park’s Bachuma gate.

They complained that they are not allowed to advertise or receive guests. Such visitors would enable them to meet the cost of running the sanctuaries.

According to Mr Macharia, his snake park would complement Tsavo Park because visitors don’t get to see reptiles during game drives, as well as provide jobs.

Tourism last year earned the exchequer Sh62.46 billion from 950,000 visitors while this year, more than a million visitors are expected. Earnings are expected to hit the Sh80 billion mark.

Frustrating

Mr Arthur Tuda, the KWS senior warden in charge of Coast region, denied that they were frustrating conservationists. Most of the unlicensed sanctuaries did not conform to set standards, he added. Kenya tours

“We wouldn’t want tourists to visit places that do not measure up to the industry,” he said.

However, he said KWS had received proposals they were considering and would soon license those that qualify.