Raging waters and unending rainfall have caused havoc for tourism and local businesses in Maasai Mara Wildlife Reserve, a popular attraction in west Kenya's Narok County, and local authorities are mulling a disaster management plan for future disaster response.
Last Tuesday, the Talek River in Maasai Mara burst its banks due to heavy downpours, inundating wildlife reserves' camps and lodges in its path. Locals and tourists said they were fortunate to be alive.
Many of the tourists have been taken to higher places for safety. But the ecosystem has been greatly affected and many businesses have to wait for the floodwater to subside to pick up their pieces and start afresh.
"For some reason, naturally we've never seen such a phenomenon. What we need to do, because we are already on the right track, because we have done the Maasai mara national reserve management plan, and this is what we are trying to implement. What we need to do now is to ensure that we reconsider the construction of better bridges across the national reserve and also have a disaster management plan in case of anything. Then, we will be ready," said Johnson Sipitiek, Minister of Tourism and Wildlife in Narok County.
A hotel, in the heart of the reserve, has been affected immensely, with the rooms for tourists and the kitchen being destroyed by the raging waters.
Tourists have been forced to adjust their plan.
"This is not the original hotel we planned to stay, and we had to cancel two of our hotels we planned to stay. Of course, it was affected but I think overall it's OK," said Huang Li, a tourist.
Businesses are counting their losses with many workers fearing for their jobs. But they are all upbeat about their employer's decision believing all setbacks are just temporary.
The only option is to wait for the rains to subside, pick up the pieces and start afresh, and hope it was a once-off.
"Definitely it was something we've never seen. The waters were all over and the river flooded. And it destroyed the camps along the Talek River and I think it was a big problem. We are yet to assess the situation when the water level goes down, because the old bridges are cut off. So when the waters are low, we can assess how the level of destruction is," said Stephen Minis, chief warden of the Maasai Mara Wildlife Reserve.
Local authorities have ordered for the closure of all the camps in the park until a thorough assessment is done. However, the bad news is that more heavy rainfall is expected to pummel the region in the coming days, according to the Kenya meteorological authorities.
Persistent rainfall bursts riverbank, disrupts tourism in Maasai Mara Wildlife Reserve
