In just four months at the helm of the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano has already begun to make waves in the delicate balance between nature conservation and the booming tourism industry.
A relative newcomer to the role, Miano has quickly grasped the complexities of managing a sector that is crucial to the nation’s economy yet fragile in the face of environmental pressures.
With bold ideas and a fresh perspective, she is navigating a path that could redefine the future of sustainable tourism and wildlife preservation.
Her vision is clear-to transform the sector into a model of sustainability, where tourism contributes to conservation while also ensuring that local communities thrive through responsible tourism.
She is facing the challenges of today with the vision of tomorrow.
We sat for an interview on her reflections for the year and her plans in the coming year.
Here is an excerpt.
How has the ministry performed in the last one year?
We can say in one word, it is positive. It is on an upright trend, it is on steady in growth, and the focus is very good.
If you look at the numbers for example, 2023, we closed us at just about 2 million tourists.
For 2024 up to October, we were at the numbers of 2023 the whole year and therefore we are certain and positive, that we will meet our targets for 2024 which was 2.4 million.
What can you say has been your greatest achievements since you took over office?
We have made significant progress, including establishing strong engagement and relationships with stakeholders and industry leaders.
We have committed to meeting quarterly to address their concerns, incorporate their suggestions, and resolve any challenges, as the government plays a key role in enabling the private sector to thrive.
In terms of capacity building, we have for the first time introduced a revolving fund under the tourism fund for students and colleges to access in the training of people in the hospitality sector.
We have also unveiled nine circuits in Kenya to diversify the tourism products.
Traditionally, Kenya was known for Safari and beach as if there is nothing else and because want sustainable tourism, we have now launched nine subjects.
We have divided Kenya into nine regions, and each region is working hard to perfect their products that is why you have seen a sharp rise in cultural tourism.
You have seen all the cultural events that we have held recently, and we are still doing more.
The last one this year is the Piny Luo Cultural Festival that will be held between December 30 and January 2 in Siaya county.
We’ve had the Maa cultural festival, Turkana festival and many more.
Wellness and health tourism has been growing rapidly, with numerous activities attracting travelers seeking a reconnection with nature and health rejuvenation.
As a result, Kenya is emerging as a niche market in this sector.
In agri-tourism, we’ve seen visitors amazed to witness the journey of tea from the farm to the table, with many discovering for the first time that tea is grown.
Sports tourism has also flourished, with travelers eager to connect with athletes and explore the places where they were born and raised, along with many other unique experiences.
Additionally, we launched the President’s “10 Bucket List” to highlight why Kenya is a must-visit destination.
For example, Nairobi National Park, the only park located within a city, is featured on this list.
We are also promoting Kenya as the birthplace of humanity, given that the oldest human remains were discovered here 40 years ago.
Recently, we celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Turkana Boy at the National Museum of Kenya.
This remarkable find, the most complete human remains ever discovered, continues to attract researchers and tourists from around the world.
Currently, Kenya boasts eight UNESCO World Heritage sites, which are also part of this list, drawing tourists from across the globe.
What challenges has the tourism and wildlife industry faced this year, and how have you addressed them?
Despite our achievements, we have faced challenges. Traditionally, many Kenyans viewed tourism as something solely for visitors, and as a result, few embraced the role of brand ambassadors.
We must consistently promote domestic tourism while also welcoming international visitors, as this collective effort will help position Kenya as the premier tourist destination.
Another challenge that we face is the aging tourism facilities.
We need to work with the private sector to see how we can renovate and also invest more on these facilities to accommodate more tourists that we are targeting.
For example, we have a target of 5 million visitors annually by 2027.
The other challenge is insecurity. While Kenya, like many African countries, is sometimes perceived as insecure, we are making significant progress.
Recently, we signed an MOU with the Ministry of Interior to revamp the Tourism Police Unit (TPU).
Before traveling, every tourist ensures their security is guaranteed.
The other challenge we face in Kenya and Africa as a whole is a lack of awareness.
There are misconceptions that the continent has little to offer. Fortunately, those who have visited Kenya give us excellent reviews, while those who haven’t often spread misinformation that discourages others.
In terms of collaboration, how are you interlinking counties so that they can play an active role in spurring tourism?
Counties have a lot to offer, remember all the tourist sites that we have belong to a counties.
We have the Utalii Mashinani program, and as a ministry, we have already engaged with governors from 11 counties to explore partnerships that will boost tourism.
When tourism flourishes in these counties, it creates jobs, encourages investment in tourism infrastructure, and fosters economic empowerment at the local level.
National reserves, as you are aware, are managed by counties, as they belong to them, while the national government, through KWS, oversees national parks.
Therefore, we must support and work alongside the counties to operationalize and ensure the success of national reserves.
Wildlife is one of the main attractions for tourism, and if counties effectively manage their reserves, they will draw significant numbers of visitors.
We have witnessed strong collaboration and interest from the counties, as they work together with the national government—neither can succeed without the other.
Human-wildlife conflict remains a major challenge. What are you doing to address it and what is the backlog in terms of compensation?
Many communities have embraced wildlife and learned to coexist with these animals, but in some areas, this remains a challenge.
Competition for resources is the primary cause of these conflicts.
Even as we put in place legislations, policies, and strategies to promote human-wildlife coexistence, we are fully aware of this ongoing issue.
To address human-wildlife conflict, we must focus on economic empowerment for local communities.
Providing food and water for both people and wildlife is crucial.
Additionally, we need to educate communities on how to avoid conflict and live harmoniously with wildlife.
In some areas, we are also installing physical barriers, such as fencing, to protect animals.
As a ministry we are also reviewing the Wildlife and Conservation and Management Act so that we take into the into account the contemporary issues and the experiences that we are seeing.
Where a conflict has occurred, we are determined to do compensation in time and adequately.
We have embraced digital platforms for compensation, where all the cases are reported digitally to promote efficiency, transparency and remove a lot of fraud.
As with any program, there are always instances of fraud, but this digital platform has significantly reduced such cases.
Recently, we graduated 1,274 rangers, the largest cohort ever, and the first in ten years.
This will greatly enhance our capacity for monitoring, surveillance, reporting, and conflict prevention.
During the graduation ceremony, we also launched about 98 vehicles, trailers, and boats to ensure we are better equipped to manage human-wildlife conflict.
While we acknowledge the backlog of claims from previous years, I’m pleased to report that in the last two years, the government has allocated 1.8 billion for human-wildlife compensation.
We have also established county wildlife compensation committees to verify and process claims, aiming to expedite and update the compensation process.
We are optimistic that within the next one to two years, we will eliminate the backlog entirely.
What is the government doing to improve the country’s Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) system following a significant drop in its ranking on the Africa Visa Openness Index (AVOI)?
The President announced that Kenya is visa free but since you need to appraise and review those entering the country, ETA was introduced for people who are entitled to enter without visas.
However, we have received feedback from various stakeholders highlighting the need to streamline and strengthen the system.
In the first week of January, we shall be having a multi-sectoral meeting to see how we should tweak, for example, some of the feedback we have received is that an ETA, when given, should be for multiple entry or for longer periods.
We need to take care of people who are last minute travelers, remember with ETA, you need about 72 hours, so those that are last minute travelers need to come and probably get their ETA or something at the airport or visa on entry.
We are looking at countries that do not have ETA or any other entry requirement, we are looking at how to treat those countries.
We want Kenya to be as accessible as possible, especially with the target we’ve been given of increasing tourist numbers.
What is your message to Kenyans during this festive season?
This is the best time for tourism, a time to see the hidden gems in our country, to see areas that you have never seen, all the way from the north to the coast.
We have pristine beaches, we have national parks, we have conservation areas, we have cultural events, we have we have agri-tourism and arts.
We are urging Kenyans to take this opportunity to support the country we have and when we do that, will be the greatest ambassadors of the tourism sector, which is a crucial sector and a key driver of our economy.
