The Mombasa Tourism Council (MTC) has announced its support for a new beach management standards initiative being prepared by the Tourism Regulatory Authority (TRA).
TRA, created under Section 4 of the Tourism Act No 28 of 2011, is the statutory body that oversees Kenya’s tourism sector and is tasked with drafting regulations, standards and guidelines to improve service quality.
The forthcoming Tourism Beach Operations standard will outline general requirements and recommendations for operators who provide beach-related services, covering areas such as sustainable management, planning, ownership, infrastructure, safety, communication, cleaning and waste removal.
TRA says the standards are intended to guarantee that tourism establishments across the country deliver services that meet minimum tourist expectations and will serve as the foundation for sector-wide quality control.
MTC chairman Sam Ikwaye told reporters that the council is eager to collaborate with TRA to finalise the standards. He warned that “we have an unsuitable model where several national government agencies seem to operate. TRA, the Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA), Kenya Coast Guard Service, Kenya Wildlife Service, the Fisheries department and Kenya Ports Authority all have direct impacts on the beach resource from their mandates, yet counties are expected to manage the day-to-day running, including cleaning and planning.”
Ikwaye added that the long-overdue initiative should bring all stakeholders under a clear, harmonised framework and enable counties to assume a more proactive leadership role in sustainable beach management.
Fishermen working at the Jomo Kenyatta Public Beach in Mombasa County welcomed the proposal, noting that unplanned activities are increasingly threatening the beaches through pollution.
One fisherman, Idd Bakari Swedi, said: “We hope we shall be fully involved as key stakeholders and that our input will not be sidelined as has been the case before.” He also called on authorities to rigorously vet all beach traders, including fishermen, to ensure compliance with the new rules.
