Kenyan award-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o appeared to have bowed to pressure from Kenyans who have called on her to do better in marketing her country to the world.
On Tuesday, March 16, the Oscar-Award-winning actress publicized her visit with photos of her vacationing in the picturesque Lamu Island, breaking her routine of a quiet entry and exit into Kenya.
The photos captioned Lamu Tamu Lamu Damu(sweet Lamu and Lamu forever) were seen by millions of her fans and hugely marketed as one of Kenya’s major tourism assets.
Tourism Cabinet Secretary (CS) Najib Balala had earlier this year said that the country was ready to appoint Lupita as Kenya's Tourism Ambassador.
However, he claimed that he had not been able to reach her for the past five years. "She has commitments and her managers cannot allow us to access her. We’ve spent the last five years looking for her," Balala explained.
On her side, Lupita responded to the claims with a photo post on Twitter insinuating that she was surprised by Balala’s remarks.
"Me when I hear the Kenyan Ministry of Tourism has been looking for me for five years," Lupita captioned the photo.
Naomi Campbell, a British supermodel was appointed as Kenya’s Tourism Ambassador in January, which spiked debates as Kenyans questioned the decision to pick her over Lupita.
Balala defended the move saying that it was the best decision to help the country tap into the elite clientele.
Recently, two sons of Pakistan Prime Minister, Imran khan were spotted enjoying their time in Lamu, Kenya.
The two, Kasim Khan and Sulaiman Isa Khan were confirmed to be in Lamu, through their father’s post which indicated that they had gone for Friday prayers at a mosque in Lamu.
Their visit was widely covered by the Pakistan press, which highly marketed the tourist town.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared Lamu a world heritage site. The place is a favorite spot for both domestic tourists and those from other countries.
