The Kenya Wildlife Service on Sunday, May 18, announced radical changes to how tourists can navigate Nairobi National Park, barely a day after there were complaints about long queues.
In a statement, the service announced the launch of two new express lanes, which will be specially dedicated to prepaid ticket holders at Nairobi National Park.
According to the KWS, this move was aimed at reducing entry wait times while providing visitors a more convenient experience at one of the most popular parks in the country.
"To further enhance convenience and reduce entry wait times, we have introduced two express lanes exclusively for prepaid ticket holders at Nairobi National Park," the KWS announced.
The KWS pre-paid tickets are digital entry passes that tourists can purchase in advance when they're planning to visit the Nairobi National Park. To access the system, visitors are expected to create an account on e-Citizen.
The express lanes were more of a necessity, especially after re-ticket holders were subjected to delays on Saturday, May 17, despite their early purchase. On Saturday, the portal experienced hitches, leading to delays and outrage from tourists on social media.
One major implication of the system downtime was that pre-ticket holders were forced to wait in line with other visitors who were struggling to buy tickets at the e-citizen platform at the gate.
Following the setback, the KWS urged more tourists to continue pre-purchasing their tickets since the express lanes would offer them an advantage in terms of faster processing.
In addition to the implementation of express lanes, the KWS also announced that they had clocked a milestone, as 60 per cent of visitors to Nairobi National Park had prepaid for their tickets.
The upgraded eCitizen payment system was announced in February, after Kenyans reported challenges in paying for the park services.
KWS revealed that the piloting had commenced in three major parks, including the Nairobi National Park, Nairobi Safari Walk, and Nairobi Animal Orphanage.
To reduce long queues, the service also clarified that in addition to the Main Gate, the park has other fully operational entry points at East Gate (off Mombasa Road) and Mbagathi Gate (Magadi Road, opposite Multimedia University) that can help ease congestion.
