Tharaka Nithi set to be the next tourism destination

Tharaka Nithi, Kenya: Tharaka Nithi County Governor Samuel Mbae Ragwa has said his government is setting up strategies to open up the county to tourism in his term of leadership.

The Governor says he has always known the county had massive potential in tourism and his election has given him a platform to show it to the world and to the locals.

Mr. Ragwa who was speaking to journalists in his office at Chiakariga says this will begin from domestic tourism and is therefore encouraging residents to explore and visit the exotic places in the county.

"I believe so much in domestic tourism and I know if residents support us in the process, people will come from all over the world to see the beauty of our county.

Mr Ragwa says people have the wrong perception of tourism and this should change.

"People think tourists only visit places to see wildlife especially the big five but there are those that travel to see cultural centres, different species of birds, butterflies and other things. This is what we want to advance in our county."

He said the county government is planning to start cable cars in Tharaka hills, trout growing in Mt Kenya, establishment of modern hotels and identification of unique natural resources and are in the process of finding investors that will help achieve these goals.

"We are in the process of building infrastructure around Mt Kenya, Meru National Park and other areas to improve the environment for tourism. This includes roads, hospitals, hotels and security of these areas."

The Governor is encouraging residents to start accepting the county and start travelling to the different cites to open up the area to national and international tourism.

Mr Ragwa says that he believes the county has what it takes to earn the county foreign exchange and local revenue that will help improve its economy.

He says they will not shy away from allocating a lot of money to tourism since the success of the county can largely be achieved by tourism.

Same sentiments have been shared by County Executive Committee Member Albert Mugambi who says his ministry is putting a lot of emphasis on ecotourism which he believes will be a big boost to opening tourism to the county.

"We have various sites that are suitable for tourism but I believe Tharaka Nithi is the leading county in ecotourism only that this has not been explored."

The CEC says the county government is planning to achieve this by planting six million trees in this financial year, expansive management of forests and hilltops, school greening, seedling development and conservation of wetlands.

 

Mr Mugambi who is also in charge of water and natural resources docket says the county government has allocated money for the construction of eleven new water projects to ensure 30% of the community in the county has access to clean water.

"We are initiating eleven new water projects and eleven irrigation schemes to ensure residents get food security and better access to clean water."

The ministry is also working on registration of small scale miners of gemstones, quarry stones and sand.

Mr Mugambi says they will open up the market to the miners by creating a network for marketing their products.

"We are also planning to engage in large scale mining of iron ore at Kithiori and copper at Gituma in Tharaka South Sub County in order to earn revenue for the county."

According to the CEC it is important for the county to have attractive and big hotels that are comfortable and with high standards so as to accommodate various visitors who visit the county.

"We are going to improve existing hotels like Kinondoni lodge in Chogoria at the Mt.Kenya National Park, and bring up new ones through the government and the private sector  to ensure tourists have a place to sleep when they visit the county."

The county government believes that within the remaining four years of their governance the county will have transformed to be a major tourism destination in the country.