Tour operators at pains to redeem Lake Nakuru National Park's tainted image

When you talk about must-see tourist attraction sites in Nakuru, The Lake Nakuru National Park instantly comes to mind.

Over the years the destination has strategically placed itself as a force to reckon with, in the Nakuru hospitality and tourism space.

A few days ago, Mtaa Wangu came across a post on X by Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) which was showcasing the beauty of the National Park while at the same time encouraging individuals to go and visit the park.

Surprisingly, a repost dated March 16 brought out the ghosts that have haunted the UNESCO heritage site for the better part of four months now.

Under the post saying, ‘Welcome to Lake Nakuru National Park, where a natural masterpiece comes to life,’ the first repost by @saazingine says “Ndio mtuue kama Brian Odhiambo”

The second repost by @LoveAlkebulan says, “We may be murdered. We will stay home” while the third one by @James041 says, “Hatukuji boss. Labda tukikuja vita. Tupeeni brayo!!”

The surrounding theme around the posts was the mysterious disappearance of Brian Odhiambo who was seen being arrested by Kenya Wildlife Service officers and has never been seen to date.

Over the past three month the reputation of the National Park has been dragged through the mud with issues from alleged assault on the locals by the KWS officers, to the illegal fish trade that is allegedly being facilitated by the same officers.

In a phone call interview with David Mwangi, the Chair of the Nakuru County Tourism Association he confirms that indeed the tourism space has felt the impact of the negative publicity surrounding the National Park.

“The Lake Nakuru National Park is a premier tourist destination. However, with the recent cases surrounding the park we have had a significant reduction in visitors who want to visit the park, something that is very worrying for those of us in the hospitality sector” Mr Mwangi says.

He adds that the park in itself is a natural resource which Nakuru people are proud of.

“The park will always remain; it is the people who have come to manage it that have a few issues here and there and therefore this should not fall on the park itself. The people who work in the park will come and go but the park will always remain as a constant. We should separate the two,” Mr Mwangi notes.

The tourism association has now taken it upon themselves to wash off this bad rep in an attempt to redeem the image of the Park.

“On our part we are working on carrying out activations with some of our members, these include hoteliers, tour operators and the likes to go to the park and just get to feel the park and see its beauty, so that they may also help us in promoting this beautiful tourist attraction” he concludes.

The Lake Nakuru National Park serves as a UNESCO world heritage site and a rhino sanctuary.