Kenya aviation breaking news – KQ takes delivery of another E190

KENYA AIRWAYS RECEIVES EIGHTH EMBRAER, CONTINUES EXPANSION

Another Embraer E190 joined the growing KQ fleet overnight, when the latest bird arrived in Nairobi and was taxied to the Embakasi base of The Pride of Africa. Registered as 5Y KYR the new aircraft will shortly be deployed across the East and Southern African skies, soon to be followed by the ninth aircraft of the same make due for delivery in October.
The cabin configuration is the now familiar 2×2 in economy (84) and 2×2 in business class (12), offering overall 96 seats and as such ideally suited for routes where a smaller aircraft will make the destination financially viable from a very early stage. An inflight entertainment and information system has been integrated for the benefit of passengers, who can now watch movies or series from their own personal screen.
Only a few weeks ago did Kenya Airways sign a firm order for another 10 Embraer 190 aircraft with the Brazilian manufacturer while also confirming 16 more options, which can be converted into firm orders at a later stage. KQ presently operates 5 Embraer 170 and now 3 Embraer 190, with two more aircraft from the current order due for delivery before the end of the year. Happy Landings to the new bird, the crew and all the future passengers on board.

Kenya breaking news – Major fire outbreak at Kenya Pipeline depot kills scores in Nairobi

TRAGEDY STRIKES NAIROBI
A major fire near or at a Kenya Pipeline Company depot in the industrial area on the outskirts of Nairobi has claimed dozens of lives according to breaking news from Kenyas capital.
As the fire brigade is deploying in full force to control the fire and prevent it from spreading to other nearby installations and buildings ambulances are deployed to administer first aid to burn victims and taken them to the available city hospitals. Security services are also on full alert to cordon off the area.
No cause of the fire has yet been established and the city is awash with rumours already, while a source in regular contact with this correspondent from Nairobi is counseling caution: At this stage it is completely premature to speculate over the causes of the fire. You know the drill, we cannot rule anything in or out at this stage and priority now is to get the fire under control and extinguish it. Priority now is dealing with the injured people and remove the victims of the fire for identification and autopsies. I want to make it clear that we are not talking causes right now and a full investigation will hopefully shed light on it just as soon as the fire is out. However, indications from other sources blame aged pipes and equipment which may have broken and leaked fuel before igniting. Considering the vigilance of Kenyas security apparatus and their high state of alert coinciding with the 10th anniversary of 9 / 11, it is unlikely that this could be a terror attack and most likely an accident, at least according to the sketchy information patched together in the short period of time available.
Ironically has the Kenya Pipeline Company in 2008 called for the establishment of a fire station nearby to offer greater protection and reduce response time in case of fires. Watch this space for updates as more news become available.
No tourists have come to any harm as Lunga Lunga Road in the industrial area part of Nairobi is not ordinarily frequented by travelers and while major traffic jams are expected to hinder transportation to and from the International Airport and Wilson Airport, no other fallout for the tourism industry is expected at this moment in time.
Meanwhile does the eTN Africa team extend our sincere condolences to the families and friends of those who have perished in this fire.

Kenya tourism news – Gamewatchers / Porini offer ‘mobility’

GAMEWATCHERS / PORINI OFFER MOBILITY IN THEIR CONSERVANCIES
Gamewatcher Safaris and Porini Safari Camps have launched a mobile tented operation, which is available during certain times of the year, currently between July and October. Comprising 6 dome tents, which sleep up to two guests at a time, they are located on their Selenkay Conservancy outside the Amboseli National Park and on their Ol Kinyei Conservancy outside the Masai Mara Game Reserve, the mobile camps are put up in areas where the game is concentrated, and while not offering the infrastructure of the regular Porini Safari Camps it nevertheless brings safari tourists even closer to one of the most unique wildlife experiences possible and at a lower cost too. Access to areas in the conservancies frequented by game, including predators, is swift as the camp locations are strategically chosen, to be hidden as much as possible from sight but also to be right in the middle of where the action takes place.

(Picture courtesy of Porini / Ol Kinyei Conservancy)

Gamewatchers / Porini offer the option of visiting only one camp or else both camps in a week long package where the arrival at Selenkay is by road while the move to the Ol Kinyei conservancy is by air with SafariLink via Wilson Airport. The return from the Mara to Nairobi is again by road, offering the scenic route up the escarpment of the Great African Rift Valley.
Game sighting details passed on to this correspondent sound almost too good to be true, but having visited the conservancies last year it is absolutely clear that there was no exaggeration, not for the figures nor for the species actually seen.
The conservancies in fact are often offering better game viewing and bird watching than the neighouring parks and in addition permit night game drives and guided walks, something which is still not possible in the national parks for reasons never fully understood.
Visit www.porini.com for more details on these locations, information about the Porini main camps and for bookings of their mobile camps and other services.

More News about Africa – check this out

E-NEWS FROM THE REGION
Many readers of my regular weekly roundup or even those following me on Twitter or are connected via LinkedIn or Facebook where all my blog articles are cross loaded to reach more and more people interested in Eastern Africa and Indian Ocean events, keep asking for :where can we read more.
In Kenya the choice is obvious, as KenyaBuzz really covers Whats On over a wide range of topics across the entire country and while there are weekly mailings every Friday subscription is free and easy the main content can always be accessed via www.kenyabuzz.com. Not to be left out is the e-version of Travel News Kenya, which can be subscribed to for free and is ONLY available on the web, no longer in print.
For Uganda and Rwanda the first e-publications which come to mind are The Eye, for Uganda via www.theeye.co.ug every two months and for Rwanda via www.theeye.co.rw, every three months.
For Uganda the Guide2Uganda can be followed on Twitter @Guide2Uganda where current events are also featured via www.guide2uganda.com, while for Tanzania I can recommend @YellowMasai which is dedicated exclusively to travel information about the mainland and Zanzibar www.yellowmasai.com
For the continent of course there are the Africa Travel magazines for Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, accessible in part on the web and subscriptions to their regular e-updates can be obtained for free through their website.
And not to be forgotten is of course the web edition of the Africa Travel Associations magazine which covers also the entire continent. Enjoy finding out much more about travel to and across Africa, the most popular and the most luxurious destinations, how to get there and what awaits you.

Zanzibar ferry accident update – Now government denies knowledge of ferry owners

ZANZIBAR GOVERNMENT DENIES KNOWLEDGE OF OWNERS OF SUNKEN FERRY
In an extraordinary, though not unprecedented turn of events has the government of Zanzibar reportedly denied to have any knowledge of the registered owners of the MV Spice Islander.
Registration and licensing of ocean going vessels however has been confirmed to be a function of government by tourism stakeholders, one of whom said this in an email overnight: This is not just unreal but almost mocking those seeking answers, those who lost relatives on the islands. How can a government claim not to be aware of the owners and it is the same government giving them a license. We are also disturbed about conflicting figures, some of which put the total passengers to over 800 and then government mouthpieces try to shrink these figures to within the licensed number. What is going on here. The tragedy was avoidable if only rules were enforced. There is notorious corruption across all outlets of public services and they are now just trying to whitewash the whole thing. It is high time that government brings us new safe ferries which can be used to travel from one island to the other without risking our lives every time one sets foot on board. The central government in Dar es Salaam did according to media reports release 300 million Tanzania Shillings to assist bereaved families with funeral expenses.
The official number of casualties was given by a Zanzibar government spokesperson as just under 200 with nearly 600 survivors, which would put the overall number of passengers on board well over the licensed figure permitted. There is also no certainty over the number of bodies not yet recovered, as apparently no complete passenger manifest was produced prior to the ferry leaving for its last ill fated journey to Pemba. Reconciling survivors and casualties is therefore literally impossible for the authorities in Zanzibar. It is understood that Kenyan authorities are now also keeping a watch along the shores from across the Pemba Channel, in case any bodies would be spotted across the international border.