Nairobi News

Tourism Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua has voiced his concerns over the alleged harassment of international tourists at the country’s entry and exit points by Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) officials.

He accused some KRA officials of conducting unnecessary and exaggerated checks, which he believes are scaring away tourists.

CS Mutua made these remarks during a Tourism Stakeholders luncheon held in Nairobi.

He expressed his dismay at the unprofessional treatment meted out to tourists, particularly at the airports, and emphasized the need for a warm and welcoming atmosphere for visitors.

“When our tourists arrive, they carry their cameras, wear their shoes, and yet they are harassed at the airport. KRA officials at the airport harass our visitors, and this leaves them with a negative impression. You wonder why they don’t come back,” Mutua lamented.

Comparing Kenya to other tourist destinations, Mutua highlighted the more tourist-friendly procedures in place elsewhere.

“You go to Rwanda, they don’t harass you. Does Rwanda not collect taxes? You go to South Africa, and they don’t harass you. In Dubai, they don’t harass you. So, why do our visitors face such challenges in Kenya?” he questioned.

Mutua raised concerns about KRA officials openly inspecting and handling tourists’ personal items at the airports, which, in his view, could discourage repeat visits.

“When a tourist’s personal items are removed and displayed publicly by KRA, they will never return to Kenya. And you wonder why Kenya is ranked only fourth. We must provide a warm welcome.”

He stressed the importance of correcting these issues and pledged to work towards improving the situation.

“You go to Singapore, the Maldives, and nobody opens your bags if you are a tourist. These are the things we need to correct, and now you have the right leader to make these changes. You can tell us whether to close the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife and focus on other matters, but if you want us to generate revenue and make this country prosperous, we must enhance our visitors’ experiences.”

Mutua concluded by acknowledging that KRA personnel, in general, are good people but pointed out that some individuals with bad manners have overstayed in their positions.

He called for a more welcoming and professional approach to boost the tourism sector and support the country’s economic growth.

Kenya is a renowned holiday destination with visitors keen to sample the wildlife and sunny beaches along the coast and the government is keen to shore up the numbers of tourists from the 1.5 million registered in 2022.

Mutua, who recently took over the Tourism docket has set an ambitious target of increasing the number of tourists visiting Kenya to 5 million by 2025.

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