Blog

(Photo courtesy of Hon. Peninah Malonza)

By Beverly Mautiah

As announced by Hon. Peninah Malonza, the Cabinet Secretary for Tourism, Wildlife, and Heritage, the number of International tourists in the year 2022 is slowly but surely improving as compared to 2019 and 2020.

During the pre-pandemic times in 2019, the number of international arrival visitors in Kenya marked 1,483,752, whereas in 2019 the number of visitors amounted to 2,048,834, making a good improvement resulting in a recovery of 72.4% of the incoming tourists.

According to Hon. Malonza, the Tourism sector is making progress with tourists getting back after the Covid-19 pandemic. “Last year, Kenya International tourist arrivals were 1,483,752, representing a 70.45% increase as compared to 2021 arrivals of 870,465.

The inbound receipts grew up to Ksh.268.09 billion compared to Ksh. 146.51 billion in 2021 which is a growth of 83%. The arrivals represent a 72.4% recovery towards 2019 numbers which is above the global average recovery rate of 63%, “Hon. Malonza said.

Breaking down the data by Tourism Research Institute, (TRI) the report shows that among the tourist’s motives, holiday traveling topped the list at 36.6% with visiting friends and family followed by a small margin at 27.8%. Those who visited with Business and Meetings Incentives, Convention and Exhibitions {MICE} were in the third position with 27.2% as compared to 13.5% in 2019, of the total visits.

The culture and Heritage sites welcomed a total of 856,604 visitors in 2022. The Nairobi National Museum led by 23%, Kisumu Museum and Fort Jesus followed by 20% 0f the total visitations. The number of international delegates hiked from a sum of 3,341 in January to September 2021 to 18,658 in 2022.

It was noted that some initiatives such as destinations campaign both locally and Internationally hosting of occasions like The New Kenya Strategy 2022-2025 among others are what fastened the improvement of the tourists’ arrival in Kenya.

In terms of countries, The United States of America led with 209,360 visitors, Uganda, the United Kingdom and Tanzania with 12%, 10%, and 10% market shares respectively. In 2022, the flight landings recorded an increase of 38% to 62,000 in 2022 which was less than 13% compared to pre-covid 19 performance.

The Cs urged the private sectors to include everyone in their investments, ” I call on the private sector players to also focus on their investments and efforts towards inclusion and social unity as this is the only way we will continue priding ourselves as a leader in the tourism sector”. Said Malonza.

By Teddy Nyagaka and Bridget Amesa

A bonobo is a black faced chimpanzee with black hair. They are mainly found in Congo
(Zaire) rainforest. The bonobo is believed to be the closest ape relative to living man.
they have a slender build, and their arms are longer than their legs. Bonobos use bipedalism,
i.e., walking on two legs, to move through the forest, but they also use their hands and feet to
climb trees. They are arboreal, meaning they spend most of their time in trees.
Bonobos are incredibly social animals, and they live in large communities of around 100
individuals. They communicate using a combination of vocalizations, body language, and
facial expressions. They are intelligent, and their problem-solving abilities have been
compared to those of a 2-year-old child. They have also shown empathy and altruistic
behaviour towards others.
Bonobos are omnivorous, meaning they eat both plants and animals. They feed on fruits,
leaves, nuts, seeds, and insects. They also hunt small mammals like rodents, birds, and
monkeys. Unlike chimpanzees, who engage in violent behaviour like killing and eating other
primates, bonobos are relatively peaceful and non-aggressive.

They are famous for their wide-ranging sexual activities amongst each other. It is not only for
reproduction but also for bonding and playing together, conflict resolution among other
things. Bonobos are generally strong and brave while the bonobo male is 5 times stronger
than a male human being.
Bonobos are perceived to be more peaceful than other apes and are led by females. They can
however fight seriously against each other.
They are very rare creatures and a rare breed of apes.
Despite their unique behaviours bonobos are an endangered species. Bonobos are classified
as endangered on the Red List of Threatened Species. Their population has declined rapidly
over the past few decades due to habitat loss, hunting, and the illegal pet trade.
The primary threat to bonobos is deforestation, which is caused by logging, mining, and
farming activities. The Congo Basin is one of the world’s most biodiverse areas, and it is
home to many endangered species, including bonobos. The clearing of forests destroys their
habitat and disrupts their social structure. Additionally, the logging industry in the DRC has
led to increased human settlement and hunting, which further threatens the survival of
bonobos.
Hunting is another significant threat to bonobos. Bonobos are hunted for their meat, which is
considered a delicacy in some parts of the DRC.

Conservation efforts for bonobos are underway, but they face many challenges. One of the
most significant challenges is political instability in the DRC. The civil war that has plagued
the country for decades has made conservation efforts difficult. Additionally, poverty and
corruption have led to increased hunting and illegal pet trade.