Nominated Senator Esther Okenyuri has raised alarm over what she says are inefficiencies that are frustrating the new initiative by the Nairobi National Park that involves express queues for prepaid ticket holders.
While seeking a statement from the Committee on Trade, Industrialisation, and Tourism on Wednesday, May 28, Okenyuri proposed an evaluation of internal assessment mechanisms used by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) to monitor the system's effectiveness and take corrective measures.
The senator revealed that concerns had been raised over the implementation of the system, which has been marred by significant delays, growing visitor dissatisfaction, and allegations of staff misconduct, even as she called on KWS to fix the problems.
She urged the committee to investigate the matter and substantiate claims of irregular staff conduct, particularly concerning entry procedures that may involve graft or favouritism.
She also sought clarification on whether the delays were a result of technical flaws, operational challenges, or human resource issues.
Furthermore, she asked the committee to report on the impact of the new system on visitor numbers, their overall satisfaction, and revenue generation at the park since its implementation on February 5.
The committee is expected to investigate the matter and offer insight into how the system can be refined or replaced, ensuring that both local and international visitors have a seamless and positive experience when exploring one of Kenya’s most iconic wildlife destinations.
These concerns come just days after KWS announced that it was introducing two express lanes at the park for tourists with prepaid tickets as a way of addressing recurring complaints of long queues at the park.
"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 on May 18.
These prepaid tickets are digital entry passes that can be purchased before one visits the park by creating an account on the e-Citizen platform to access them.
A day after the KWS's announcement, Tourism CS Rebecca Miano revealed more changes coming to the city national park, including a future introduction of one more entrance to the park.
The new gate, to be located on the Southern Bypass, will be the fourth one to the park and aims to make entry into the park even more convenient.
She further announced the opening of two fully operational gates, the East Gate, which is off Mombasa Road, and Mbagathi Gate, Magadi Road, opposite Multimedia University, which have also been opened to reduce congestion while accessing the park.
