Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano has lauded the role of cultural festivals in promoting unity, conservation, and economic empowerment.
Speaking at the Ura Gate Cultural Festival in Tharaka-Nithi County, Miano said the event has grown since its inception in 2015 into one of Kenya’s most distinctive cultural showcases.
This year’s edition, themed “Embracing Culture as a Tool for Wildlife Conservation & Socio-Economic Development”, brought together communities from Tharaka, Chuka, Mwimbi, Muthambi, Igembe, Kamba, Borana, and Munyuyaya.
The CS highlighted the festival’s contribution to tourism by attracting visitors to the eastern gate of Meru National Park, its role in safeguarding heritage through traditional practices, and its potential for economic empowerment via homestays, handicrafts, and agrotourism ventures.
She also revealed that the Government recently paid out Sh37 million in compensation to families in Meru and Tharaka-Nithi affected by wildlife incidents. Tharaka-Nithi is also home to the rare pancake tortoise, which now has a national conservation strategy.
Miano urged counties to create annual cultural event calendars to enable the government to market them more effectively to domestic and international tourists.
