CS Alfred Mutua’s promises as he takes over the Tourism docket
Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua on October 11, 2023, took over the Tourism and Wildlife docket six days after President William Ruto reshuffled his cabinet for the first time.
He previously served as Foreign Affairs and Diaspora CS.
In his remarks, CS Mutua expressed delight and honor in assuming his new assignment, saying he was “greatly energized and motivated” in his new capacity.
“I would like to thank and commend my sister and colleague, CS Hon. Peninah Malonza, for the commendable job she has done in the Ministry and the warm welcome she has accorded me. I will be building on her success as we chart new pathways to promote tourism locally and globally. Also, I wish to thank the two PS’s Mr. John Ololtuaa and Ms. Silvia Museiya for their hard work and determination, and the diligent and committed workforce in the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife,” began CS Mutua.
He went on to make promises to his Ministry’s stakeholders including the youth.
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“Our young men and women need jobs now more than ever before in the face of global economic slump. We need to re-engineer our Ministry to focus on job creation now, not tomorrow. The tourism and wildlife sector can create many job opportunities. Innovative ideas from all stakeholders are key to unlocking the great potential in our Ministry. We welcome all ideas that will help us improve the quality of life for common mwananchi. In this regard, I will be holding consultative meetings with all stakeholders starting from Monday next week. I will meet with all parastatal boards and all stakeholders. For stakeholders, please meet and prepare memorandum for me on how to build this sector with ideas that are out of the box solutions. We will work as partners to inject a new life to the sectors,” added CS Mutua.
He also announced intentions of working with wanachi to deliver on job and wealth creation as part of the bottom-up model as well as revamp his Ministry to strive to be the top foreign exchange earner.
“We will explore and create new tourist attractions and pathways for domestic and international tourists. We will re-examine and redesign the entire tourism ecosystem in Kenya with a view to improving the flow of tourists. I will enjoin the County governments in identifying and implementing strategic plans in order to promote our mission of creating jobs,” said CS Mutua.
Tourism is among Kenya’s highest income earners with an estimated two million visitors making the trip to Kenya in 2022; and often headed directly down to Kenya’s coastal region that boasts of white, sandy beaches. Kenya ranked eighth as the most visited African country in 2022. British holiday makers also ranked Kenya at position seven as their most preferred tourism destination.
Mutua is certain to have his hands full, as the tourism sector in Kenya continues to face competition mainly from Tanzania, Zanzibar and Zimbabwe.
The sector is also yet to fully recover post covid-pandemic, the opposition led demonstrations and the newly introduced increased fees to access facilities being managed by the Kenya Wildlife Services.