Many exciting things have happened this week in travel across Kenya. The second edition of the Magical Kenya Tembo Naming Festival took place in Nairobi National Park. The first took place in October 2021 at the Amboseli National Park. The annual GetAway Expo showcased the finest of Kenya’s tourism at the Sarit Centre. Thousands of Kenya Airways passengers were threatened with a crippling strike over the weekend.

The Magical Kenya Tembo Naming Festival Fundraiser

In its second edition, the Magical Kenya Tembo Naming Festival aims to protect one of Africa’s iconic animals – the elephant. This year’s fundraiser event had a heightened urgency considering the looming drought situation. A shocking 205 elephants died between February and October. But that is not all. The Kenya Wildlife Service estimates 512 gnus, 381 zebras, 12 giraffes, and 51 buffalo have also succumbed to the drought in the same period. Deutsche Welle is calling this drought the worst in Kenya in 40 years. The fundraiser took place at the Nairobi National Park Club House. More than twenty conservation partners got the chance to name an elephant at the event.

The naming was, of course, not free! If you forked out KES 60,000 (for individuals), and KES 250,000 (for corporates for a table of five), you would then earn the naming rights. For an additional KES 60,000, you earned a place among an elite group of ten exclusive exhibitors. Although the KES 12 million raised fell short of the first event by KES 4 million, it nevertheless exemplified a continued commitment to conservation by various stakeholders. Stay tuned for the actual Tembo naming festival later in December at the Amboseli National Park.

Getaway 2022 Tourism Fair

The popular Getaway 2022 Tourism Fair opened its doors to exhibitors and visitors from the 28th to the 30th of October. The event which happens at the Sarit Expo Centre brings industry players together in a bonanza of travel deals. During the Christmas season and beyond, visitors scramble for the most discounted holiday packages from Kenya’s leading hotels, resorts, lodges, tented camps, airlines, and travel agencies. At Sarit’s rooftop garden, their dreams may well have come true!

KALPA Threatens Strike Action Against Kenya Airways

The Kenya Airlines Pilot Association (KALPA) has made good on their threat of industrial action against Kenya’s national carrier, Kenya Airways. KALPA, on October 19, 2022, issued a 14-day industrial action notice to Kenya Airways over poor working conditions for its members. Kenya Airways, on the other hand, claims the action is illegal. The airline estimates a KES 300 million daily loss of revenue if the planned strike takes off this Saturday. The strike will affect KQ’s passenger and cargo flights.

Like most airlines operating under the wreckage of COVID, Kenya Airways is only just emerging from a near-financial catastrophe. For this reason, the airline claims it may not be able to accommodate the pilots’ demands immediately. KALPA officials on the other hand say KQ has not shown any willingness to negotiate a deal, hence the mass action. In case you are scheduled to travel within the next 48 hours, contact the KQ Customer Excellence Centre at Customer.Relations@kenya-airways.com or call +254 711 024 747 or +254 734 104 747. You can also WhatsApp +254 705 474 747 or reach out to any of their travel agents for assistance. That is how this week in travel was. Do you have any other important events that happened? Share by leaving a comment below.