Nakuru County is blessed with lots of tourist attraction sites. Nakuru town alone plays host to Lake Nakuru National park, Menengai Crater, Hyrax Hill pre-historic museum as well as the Njoro caves among others.
Lake Nakuru National park which is renown for its millions of flamingoes, as well as other species of birds, is also home to the largest concentration of endangered rhinos in the country. Tourism’s impact on the economic and social development of Nakuru county is without a doubt massive. The park continues to be one of the main revenue earners for the KWS thanks to its unique flora and fauna.
A safe and secure Nakuru county coupled with the right policies are all necessary ingredients towards achieving success in this sector. All stakeholders should be included for instance the county government needs to bring on board the public to sensitise it on the need to conserve the environment which in turn results in protection of our parks, lakes and rivers.
A lot of Nakuru residents have benefited either directly or indirectly thanks to tourism with many setting up curio shops within the vicinity of the attraction sites.
Sustainable tourism should ensure feasible, long-term economic operations, that result in benefits which should be equitably distributed amongst all the stakeholders. If any stakeholder feels shortchanged conflicts are likely to arise and paralyze the very same sector we wish to see thriving.
Sammy Ngatia is a Nakuru County resident. He’s passionate about good governance and development issues. Ngatia is also a professional photographer.