To most of us, the moment the word Tourism is mentioned, we automatically think of mzungu folk flying over continents to come and see our wildlife. For most of these tourists, the bliss of seeing wild animals roaming in their natural habitat has a great pull on them. And because of this, it’s no surprise that Tourism is the 2nd largest source of foreign exchange revenue following agriculture right here in Kenya. In a quest to make the tourism industry more robust, questions have been asked. What else apart from wildlife can compel visitors to travel to our country in large numbers? What forms of tourism are there which we need to take advantage of? Can we sell our unique culture and give visitors a taste of our history and people?

By James Kabue

1. What, in your opinion, should African governments and other development agencies do in order to effectively combat the food insecurity problem in Africa?

African governments need to increase their allocation on public expenditure to the agricultural sector and research. Many African countries have rallied to the call of the Maputo Declaration where they agreed to commit 10% of the total government expenditure to the agriculture sector. Countries that spend more in this sector have grown to have middle income economies. Increased spending would help to address the infrastructural gaps that provide enabling environment for agriculture.

After our models had interacted with FCI staff and eaten a hearty breakfast, it was time to set off to Korogocho market. Accompanying the girls was a team of FCI staff comprised of the Communications crew. We drove off to the market via Thika Superhighway and within a short time, we were there. Like I previously mentioned, it was my first time at Korogocho (popularly known as Koch by the locals). On this day, Koch was busy as usual. The market was abuzz with activity – men and women laden with huge sacks on their backs, women braiding hair and wholesale traders of various food commodities carrying produce for sale. Some occasionally stopped to have a rest as they wiped off their sweaty brows.

A week ago today I was invited to witness first hand a major market clean up activity at the Korogocho market. What made this event unique was that part of the labor force doing the clean up work consisted of five beautiful lasses who are competing for the Miss Tourism Nairobi title. Now, every time you hear of beauty pageants, what comes into mind? A set of girls dolled up with tons of makeup and flashy outfits walking down a runway, right? Or better still I know you are conjuring images of young girls sitting gracefully in a make up parlor having pedicures while someone else fusses with their hair. Hey, whatever girly thing beauty pageants do…what I witnessed this past Friday was a sharp contrast to my vivid and heavenly imagination of the ideal surrounding of beauty queens. If you have been to Korogocho Market (it was my first time being there), you know how it looks.