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By George Sembony, The Citizen Correspondent
Tanga. Stakeholders of the most extensive limestone caves in East Africa located eight kilometres north of Tanga City, Amboni caves, have called on the government to relax its outlook on the involvement of stakeholders in the management of the caves to expand its revenue base and improve services.
Speaking in an interview with The Citizen, the stakeholders said that their involvement in the management of the caves would lead to joint promotional efforts that could increase the number of visitors and improve services as well as revenue.
The stakeholders, who include residents of the village where the caves are located, Kiomoni, tour operators, tour guides and a non-governmental organisation dedicating itself to support local communities in developing eco-cultural tourism, had earlier, expressed concern at what they described as apparent neglect of the Caves Conservation Area and its management, warning that such continued neglect could dwarf the cave’s development.
According to an Assistant Conservationist of the Caves, Tabu Mtelekezo the average number of visitors (both local and foreign) stands at almost 4,000 per month, with the average revenue standing at Sh4 million per month.
Almost all stakeholders of the caves unanimously agreed that the number of visitors could shoot up if there are joint efforts to promote the caves and create better management techniques which involve all stakeholders.
At Kiomoni Village, two members of the village government, Ms Mwanahela Shame, the Village Executive Officer and Mr Iddi Kipanga, the Secretary of the Kiomoni Ward Reconciliation Council said, despite being the gateway to the caves and facilitating its security, the village didn’t get any income from the caves. Ms Shame said that the village itself looks ‘tired’ and does not look like a village where tourists (local and foreigners) are passing through before reaching the caves.
The two, who are supported by various other stakeholders, said that even the road infrastructure leading to the cave is so pathetic that a visitor who is visiting the caves for the first time would not believe that the dirt track leads to one the most famous caves in the world.
They said that the City Council looks after the road leading to the village, but does not go beyond to the caves because they do not get direct revenue from there.
Kipanga said the National Archives who oversee the caves have not yet appreciated the importance of villagers benefitting directly from the cave tourism, despite engaging them in dialogue geared at securing villager participation in the management of the caves for a long time.
A former Chairman of the village, Salim Hamza Mashi said they have been following up the matter since 1995 but the National Archives have told them that there is no such arrangement in their procedures allowing the involvement of villagers in the management and benefits of the Caves as it is done in National Parks and conserved areas such as Amani Nature Reserve, in the Eastern Usambara Mountains in Muheza District.
“A former City Director came up with an idea setting up a gate immediately in the village where all vehicles could be parked and all those entering pay to go to the caves. This would create employment for the villagers in terms f guarding the vehicles or washing them,’ said Mashi, an ardent conservationist.
Stakeholders, who include Laurent Herman, the Executive Secretary of the Tanga Cultural Tourism Initiative (TCTI) and the Managing Director of a Tourist Company, Tangawonders Adventure, Mwinyi Boko supported the idea of setting up a gate to ensure that all the people who visit the caves pay.
“Under the current one pays only if he/she enters inside the caves but gate would ensure that who ventures into the cave area pays irrespective of whether he/she has gone inside the caves or not as is the case of National Parks or other conserved areas ,” said Boko, adding that the cave authority looses quite a substantial amount of revenue.
Herman says such an arrangement could enable villagers to get some revenue under some pre-arranged agreement and keep track on visitors and revenue.
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