CAPITAL FOR INVESTING IN COMMUNITY BASED TOURISM

1. CAPITAL FOR INVESTING IN COMMUNITY BASED TOURISM BY JOSEPH M. RUHIU, PROGRAMME MANAGER COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENT FACILITY 22ND OCTOBER 2007

2. COMMUNITY BASED TOURISM (CBT) EVOLUTION • INITIATED IN EARLY 1970S TO RAISE LIVING STANDARDS FOR RURAL POOR • STRATEGY FOR ENHANCED BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION THROUGH RESPONSIBLE TOURISM AND INCOME GENERATION FOR RURAL POOR • PRODUCT OF COMMUNITY BASED NATURAL RESOUIRCES MANAGEMENT (CBNRM) • BEST EXAMPLES OF CBRNM, ARE CAMPFIRE IN ZIMBABWE AND KENYAN EXAMPLES ARE, KIMANA, IL NWESI, MWALUGANJE, SHOMPOLE, KOIJA,ESELENKI AND OL GABOLI • INITIALLY WERE TO ADDRESS REVENUE SHARING, LATER COMMERCIAL • GAZETTED AREAS FAILURE TO ADDRESS LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY AND ADDRESS GROWING POVERTY FOR RURAL POOR LIVING IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO WILDLIFE • FASTEST GROWING COMPONENT OF TOURISM SECTOR, WITH POTENTIAL TO SPUR ECONOMIC GROWTH IN RURAL AREAS AND GREATLY CONTRIBUTE TO VISION 2030 • COMMUNITY ADAPTING BUSINESS CULTURE WITH PRIVATE – COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS BEING FORGED • GROWTH NEEDS PLANNING, RESOURCES ALLOCATION, IMPROVED MANAGEMENT STYLES, MARKETING, GUIDELINES DEVELOPMENT, ASSESSMENT TO LOCAL ECONOMY, TOWARDS BIODIVERSITY AND BUILD M & E

3. FUNDING COMMUNITY BASED TOURISM • GOVERNMENT SUPPORT TO TOURISM LIMITED – KTB RECEIVES KSHS. 500M OPPOSED TO PLANNED KSHS. 1 BILLION – DISPITE TOURISM VALUE • GOVERNMENT PROVIDES ENABLING ENVIRONMENT – POLICY FORMULATION, PROGRAMMES COORDINATION, SECURITY COORDINATION, INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT, MARKETING & PLANNING • CBT ALMOST 100% DONOR DEPNDENT – TOURISM DEVELOPMENT AND ESTABLISHMENT OF PROTECTED AREAS OWES IT TO INTERNATIONAL FUNDING • MAIN DONORS – WORLD BANK, EU, USAID, UNDP – KIMANA ESTABLISHED THROUGH COBRA A CONSORTIUM OF USAID, WORLD BANK AMONG OTHERS • EU COMMITTED EURO 25 MILLION OVER LAST TEN YEARS TOWARDS TOURISM DEVELOPMENT – BETWEEN 2000 – 2006, KSH.. 200MILLION FROM EU TO CDTF ESTABLSIHED 16 COMMUNITY BASED CONSERVATION AREAS, IN 2006 A FURTHER KSHS. 430MILLION FROM EU TO CDTF TOWARDS COMMUNITY BASED INIITIATIVES • IN 2002 EU GAVE TTF KSHS. 1 BILLION TOWARDS TOURISM DEVELOPMENT WITH MAJOR MILESTONE BEING MARKETING KENYA THOUGH KTB AND CREATION OF REGIONAL NETWORKS • USAID HAS COMMITTED SOME $715,809 TO SUPPORT COMMUNITY BASED TOURISM THROUGH CORE OF WHICH $434,194 WAS DISBURSED IN 2005. USAID THROUGH LEWA PROVIDED $400,000 TO SET UP SERA CONSERVANCY • KEY COMMUNITY CONSERVATION AREAS ESTABLSIHED THROUGH eu AND USAID INCLUDE – SHOMPOLE, KOIYAKI, GUIDING SCHOOL, LUMO, KALAMA, KIJABE,KOIJA, SERA, KASIGAU AMONG OTHERS • DONOR FUNDS FORM THE LARGEST CONTRIBUTION FOR CBT AS GOVERNMENT FINANCES ARE INADEQUATE EVEN WHEN FACTORED IN GOVERNMENT BUDGETS

4. IS DONOR FUNDING WORKING? • SINCE RECOGNITON AND ACCPETANCE IN THE 1970S CBT GROWN IN NUMBERS, PRODUCT IMPROVED IN TIME • FASTEST GROWING SECTORS WITH POTENTIAL OF SPURING RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND CONTRIBUTE TO VISION 2030 • 100 ESTABLISHMENTS IN EXISTENCE TODAY COMPARED TO 0NE OR TWO IN EARLY 1970S • GROWN INTO COMPETTIVE BUSINESS VENTURES WITH PRIVATE –COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS BUILD CASE 1: OLGABOLI WOMEN BANDAS PRE BCP • Serious environmental degradation; High poverty and illiteracy level;Non-economic activities;Male dominance;Unexploited natural resource; Exploitation by tour operators; Low leadership skills and Low bargaining power WITH BCP First Maasai women biodiversity conservation project where rural illiterate women have negotiated for land access rights and are engaged in eco-tourism development aimed at introducing a new and more productive benefit avenue. Objective: reverse situation pre BCP: Sustainably utilize biodiversity for economic gains; Diversify sources and types of income;Reverse male dominance in enterprises; Reverse male dominance in enterprises; Empower women in matters of conservation; Reverse the deteriorating range condition; Reduce poverty through tourism; Provide an alternative source of income – Fall back position, Provide conducive environment for skills building – Literacy POSITIVE IMPACTS: Positive impacts:- ·          Income increased from Kshs. 400,000 between 2005 and Kshs. 2million in 2007; BCP support attracted financial support for a sixth banda from USAID; Illiteracy level brought down through literacy classes; 10 people employed in the in the enterprise, mostly young men and girls; Cattle rustling reduced through radio network and vehicle (secondary impacts); Land rehabilitated; Partnerships build – community-private sector Rift Valley Adventures, Princeton University; Project attracted funding from USAID and 6th larger banda build; Piped water availed to local people; Value addition to local artefacts through training in beadwork; Community sensitised on HIV and AIDS; Donations provided  Negative impacts:- ·          Loss of grazing area to tourism;   Risk of attack by wild animals; Conflict between men and women – A case of economic empowerment on women; Leadership problems – coups and countercoups; Vested interest and interference by men – negative publicity; Interference with social values – Women abandoning core family activities to pursue training