I have heard political analysts and Kenyans at large consider the shifting of outgoing Foreign Affairs CS Alfred Mutua to Tourism as a demotion. I don't think so.
For me, they seem to be different sides of the same coin and Tourism sounds like a better fit for Mutua. As Foreign Affairs CS, he was tasked with making many countries comfortable places for Kenyans to live and work in.
In Tourism, he will be tasked with making Kenya an attractive place for touring and living for citizens of the world. While serving as Machakos governor, Mutua had a grand dream of hosting a Formula One racing track - a great deal for the tourism space. Now he has been given the powers to advance his dream beyond Machakos.
He knows what to do for tourism and has spoken about it before; the need to match international standards in everything we do. Kenya has not exploited its potential in tourism. In the annual tourism sector performance report, the number of international visitors in 2022 was 1,483,752 contributing to inbound revenue receipts of Sh268.08 billion. This was a marked increase from the previous of 2021 when Covid-19 effects were still reverberating through the industry.
However, it does not put Kenya even among the five most visited countries in Africa. Morocco leads with close to 10 million visitors, followed by Egypt, South Africa, Tunisia and Zimbabwe.
Going by the numbers, Kenya has great potential to hit Sh1 trillion in revenue from tourism. I believe Kenya has more tourist attractions than Zimbabwe or Ivory Coast, which still rank above us. The 2021-2025 new tourism strategy elaborates on Kenya's selling points. From the all-year friendly weather, warmth of the people... From the diverse coastal zones to beautiful landscapes and the Savannah. We have it all.
Mutua must now jump on President Ruto's agenda to make Kenya visa-free for as many countries as possible. While it may have a different implication elsewhere, it is a welcome move for tourism.
Having served briefly at Foreign Affairs, he must exploit the nexus between the two. In 2021, then Tourism minister Najib Balala caused an uproar when he appointed British Supermodel Naomi Campbell as Kenya's tourism ambassador. If we insist that such a role exists, we have many Kenyan stars to play it; Eliud Kipchoge, Lupita Nyong'o, Faith Kipygeon etc.
Mutua comes across as an amiable man. His training in communication and interest in the arts will come in handy. Marketing Kenya will need a high level of creativity and endless engagement. The Magical Kenya brand needs to come out strongly. Kenya is a magical country and I believe Mutua has all it takes. I hope he believes so, too.
-nyagwokamike@gmail.com
