Oral East Africa>Kenyan government sees the great lake At the hut of the story

Written by Oral East Africa

The largest lake in Africa, which is known here as Nam Lolwe among the Luo, Inyanja among my people the Banyala, known to the Arabs as Ukerewe, and Lake Victoria among the queen’s people and the Kenyan government, has often fascinated many who set their eyes on it for the first time.

You appreciate that you are standing on the verge of life for nearly a quarter of Africa, from Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Kenya and Somalia all whose British colonial history are tied to when Hanning Speke ‘discovered’ the source of Victoria Nile.

To this date the sight of the great lake will fascinate many as it did to Tourism PS John Ololtuaa who recently toured Ndere Island and realised Islands on this beautiful lake provide a unique opportunity to tap into the tourism potential in the Western region.

"The Ndere Island, and by extension all the other islands in Kisumu, offer unique touristic experiences. We are however looking at ways of introducing more adventure activities to these sites. There lies immense opportunity for watersports activities to thrive here, much like the marine parks in Mombasa and other coastal towns that are doing very well on that front," Ololtuaa said.

A narrow access

Western Kenya is our access to the Great lake, a visit to Kisumu offers us a peak of the lake, or the small shallow inlet connected to the main Lake by a channel only 3 miles wide.

But this very narrow access flourishes the area with unique bird species, bared rock boulders, and massive rivers that flow from the rift valley into the Great Lake in a dance of ox-bow lakes, into the swamps and papyrus.

The western circuit has the potential to stretch into Mt Elgon, Kakamega Forest, and into the complex culture of Bantu tribes that once made up the vassal lands of the ancient Buganda kingdom.

However, the circuit has suffered neglect by the government from lack of strategic marketing, poor road and electricity infrastructures, in certain cases almost dangerous killer roads.

The area also suffers from underinvestment in luxury hotels although recent times have seen Acacia Premier set up and Sarova Hotels take over Imperial Kisumu to meet this underexploited demand.

Facing Luoland

Tourism PS Hon. John Ololtuaa says that the region’s lake ecosystem is a resource that could be marketed as an alternative to the Coastal region's beach destinations. He noted that attractions such as Ndere Island and Kit Mikayi as part of activities and events marking the Kenya Tourism Week being hosted in the county.

PS Ololtuaa spoke of plans to co-market the Western Kenya tourism circuit alongside other renowned destinations such as the Maasai Mara through infrastructure development that will enhance accessibility in efforts to spread visitor numbers and spending.

The Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife will partner with Kisumu County Government and other private sector players to develop the region as an alternative beach and watersports hub in efforts to diversify the region's appeal for both domestic and international tourists.

President William Ruto’s shift to Western now promises to end the neglect hopefully to deliver the transformative 478 kilometer Lake Victoria Ring Road and the $900 million power transmission deal with Adani Energy solutions to construct the 371 kilometers transmission line and five substations in eastern and western Kenya under a public-private partnership model that would end the area's perennial blackouts.