Kenya – 48 Years Of Independence
Kenya recently marked its 48 year anniversary of independence which was met with mixed reactions around the country. Celebrations took place throughout the nation in every town and city with some being more peaceful than others. Wajir in north eastern Kenya saw 9 security officials killed by a roadside bomb as they were leaving the festivities in the local stadium. Doctors and nurses were also on strike in protest of a better salary. Celebrations come at a time when a bag of rice is the highest it has been since independence and petrol prices are choking many consumers.
On a more positive note Kenya has seen a record number of tourist arrivals which topped 1 million in the first 10 months of the year, most of which were travelling on a Kenya safari. Forecasts showed higher figures which have been affected by the on-going security issues in the north east of the country with tourists being kidnapped by Al Shabab militants. The end also looks in sight for the cruise industry in Kenya as the last ship containing tourists docked in the port of Mombasa in February 2011 due to the on-going piracy threat in the Indian Ocean.
Kenya safaris still seem to be more popular than a Zambia safari, perhaps because the country is more well known, there are a vast array of other activities people can get involved with and the marketing and promotion seems to be a lot more global and effective. Many people use Kenya as a base to explore the region, taking trips to Tanzania to climb Kilimanjaro, heading over to the Spice Island of Zanzibar as well as heading to Uganda and Rwanda. Kenya is the economic powerhouse of East Africa and this is something they are celebrating every year on Independence Day.
2012 could however pose a few problems for Kenya as an election is due and nobody wants to see a repeat of the 2007/2008 violence that swept the country due to corruption at the highest level. If Kenya can avoid trouble at the next elections then there is no reason the nation won’t be able to grow into the largest economic powerhouse in all of Africa.
