At least 360 hotels in Kisumu and the neighbouring counties have been identified to house thousands of guests expected to attend the Africities Summit in May.
The facilities have a total sum of over 9,808 rooms cutting across Kisumu, Siaya, Homa Bay and Vihiga counties.
At least 360 hotels in Kisumu and the neighbouring counties have been identified to house thousands of guests expected to attend the Africities Summit in May.
The facilities have a total sum of over 9,808 rooms cutting across Kisumu, Siaya, Homa Bay and Vihiga counties.
The hotels have also been rated after a rigorous process that involved sensitization of all the players in the hospital industry in the western circuit that culminated in the establishment of the Lake Victoria Tourism Association whose chairperson is Mr Robinson Anyal.
Mr Aloice Ager, a member of the Africities Secretariat asked hoteliers, homestays, serviced apartments and other facilities to register with the county government and Tourism Regulatory Authority (TRA) for purposes accreditation.
“The more than 10,000 delegates we are expecting are the guests of the government of Kenya and there are standards that we have to meet while accommodating them. We will not take them to unverified and unaccredited facility,” said Mr Ager.
So far 3000 delegates have registered and confirmed attendance.
He pointed out that a multi-agency team carrying out the inspection of various facilities, has been thorough with some of the key requirements they are keen on being the security, number and nature of the staff, the interior, exterior, kitchen, culinary departments and generally how they operate.
After that, the facilities were rated after the minimum standards required are achieved.
The construction of the Sh1.2 billion Africities Convention Centre at the Mamboleo Showground is on course.
The preparations have also been buoyed by the expansion of the Kisumu International Airport, which kicked off last week.
The new airport, which will double up its current capacity upon completion, is expected to be ready for operation in the next 90 days. The project will cost Sh240 million.
Apart from this, a multi-agency task force has been formed including a security team, department of tourism, communication and infrastructure to inspect tourism attraction sites such as Kit Mikai, Thim Lich Ohinga among others to ensure they are ready and can respond to the tourists’ needs.
Kisumu Governor Peter Anyang Nyong’o is currently in Brussels, Belgium at the congregation of Africa and the European Union at the AU-EU Week Summit.
Governor Nyong’o is representing the African Local leadership on behalf of United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLGA).
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