From January, the parking fees are to be increased by 300 percent

BY ELIZABETH KIVUVA
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• The new prices apply seasonally, with the new prices valid during the high season from November to March and reduced prices for the low season from April to June.
• In April 2020, KWS announced a new rate hike of up to 300 percent, which should come into effect on July 1, 2020, but was suspended due to the public uproar citing the coronavirus.

The Kenya Wildlife Service will return in January to the 300 percent increase in park fees suspended after a public riot last year in an effort to generate additional revenue for running national parks.

Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife, Najib Balala, said the parking fees, which were announced last year and should go into effect on July 1 and were later suspended, will apply from January 1, 2022.

However, the new prices apply seasonally, with the new prices valid during the high season from November to March and reduced prices for the low season from April to June.

In April 2020, KWS announced a new rate hike of up to 300 percent, which should come into effect on July 1, 2020, but was suspended due to the public uproar citing the coronavirus.

“Our introduced new park entry fees will apply from January 1, 2022. We had granted a 50 percent discount for international visitors and locals in July 2020, which has now been checked and is being increased,” said Mr Balala. He spoke before the commemoration of the Nairobi Parks at the age of 75.

“The parks need resources to run because it’s not easy, so we have to go back to the new prices.”

This means that during the high season, the entrance fees to Nairobi Park is SH1,500, which is a 300 percent jump from Sh500 before verification, while the fees for Nakuru and Amboseli parks are from Sh1,000 to SH1,500 before verification .

The CS also announced that KWS will completely switch over to online ticketing and digital payment in all parks by July 2022 in order to reduce theft and delays at the gates.

The majority of the parks under KWS already accept mobile payment.

“We make all entries electronically. Nairobi National Park has started piloting a revenue management system to enable payments via mobile money services such as M-Pesa or credit card and online bookings, ”he added.

“When a visitor comes here, they don’t have to waste time spending 10 minutes or an hour walking through the gate. The shift will start here in Nairobi, then in Amboseli and in Nakuru National Park. All parks will be digital by July 1, 2022 to reduce delays. “

Kenya relied on international travelers for tourism income, but this was disrupted by the pandemic outbreak, which resulted in the need to rely on domestic tourists to stay afloat.

The industry anticipates a recovery in the travel industry and a resumption of air travel over the next year, which will increase the number of tourists in the country.

The industry had 600,000 visitors in the 10 months to October, Mr Balala Said, and expects to reach a million people by December, with the world economy reopening and vaccination, adding that they had full bookings as early as December.

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