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Why Amboseli airstrip will remain closed a while longer


Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) has issued a notice alerting prospective visitors to the country’s national parks that all hotels and lodges located in national parks and reserves are now accessible by road.

This comes a fortnight after KWS said that following heavy rains that were pounding most parts of the country some of the road in the national parksh had been rendered impassable.

In a statement, KWS director general Ngugi Gecaga however announced that the Amboseli airstrip will remain closed until further notice due to safety considerations.

“The water levels at the airstrip have subsided and should the current weather conditions prevail, it is expected to be operational in the next few days,” Gecaga said.

He added that that all other airstrips and roads which were affected by the heavy rains are fully operational and passable.

In the past three months, most parts of the country have received heavy rainfall that has left more than 132 people dead and thousands more displaced.

Floods, lightning strikes and landslides have been experienced in various parts of the country, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.

The Meteorological Department of Kenya, in its weekly and monthly forecasts, has predicted that the downpour will persist until the end of the month, with intermittent episodes of heavy and light rainfall in the next three weeks.

In October, no Kenyan county recorded less than 75 per cent of their October long-term average with a heavy rains coming as s shocker for Kenyans given this is usually the short rain season.