KWS scraps cash payments for park entry to cut losses
Tourists at the Maasai-Mara National Reserve in Kenya. PHOTO | FILE
The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has eliminated cash payments at all State-owned wildlife sanctuaries starting Saturday.
The agency said it would only accept mobile phone payments via M-Pesa, bank deposits or credit card.
The move is expected to help the KWS enhance its collections, improve accountability and seal loopholes that have in the past been blamed for revenue losses.
It will also provide the KWS realtime data on the number of people entering the wildlife sanctuaries, helping it plan logistics as well as marketing strategies.
The statement on its website ends speculation over fee collection disputes between tour operators and managers of several premium parks that have in some cases sparked bitter feuds between the KWS and county governments.
At the Masai Mara Game Reserve, KAPS Limited took over gate collections in 2014 after Narok governor Samuel Tunai reassigned county revenue collectors new duties. Local leaders criticised the move and accused the governor of exporting local jobs to KAPS.
But Mr Tunai said the company had employed 30 local youth and put in place stringent fees collection mechanisms that saw revenue collection increase.
However, the KWS did not state whether the new directive would affect Masai Mara whose revenue collection mandate has always been with the Narok county government.
The move by KWS could curb past incidents where some workers allowed visitors into the park after receiving bribes, while others deliberately ‘cooked’ the books to conceal theft, leading to loss of funds.
The agency manages 22 national parks, 28 national reserves and five national sanctuaries.
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