Mad rush in search for festivities cheer after a tough year

Thousands of citizens from different corners of the country are making their way to destinations of their choices to revel in the joy of the festive season, looking to end a difficult year in joy, despite the hard times. Undeterred, they are determined to embrace the spirit of the Christmas and New Year season and create lasting memories.

A spot-check by Nation in major towns across the country revealed heightened activities in the transportation sector, be it rail, road or air.

In the Coast region, an influx of holidaymakers has left most hotels in Mombasa and Diani fully booked, and holiday homes proprietors commonly known as Airbnb hiking their charges by up to double, with many visitors seeking boarding spaces.

The surge in numbers of holidaymakers not only highlights the enduring festive spirit but also emphasises the need to celebrate amidst adversity.

For many Kenyans, a holiday away from the normal hustle and bustle of their residences is the pinnacle of their vacations.

An attempt by the Nation team to make travel bookings on major bus companies, airlines and the Madaraka Express train (SGR) were futile as most of them are fully booked until Christmas Day and others have no seats left until month-end.

For instance, Easy Coach from Nairobi to Kisumu was fully booked up to December 24, while Mash from Nairobi to Mombasa and Kisumu to Mombasa was also fully booked up to December 23.

Some of the companies have added extra buses to cater for the increased demand. Easy Coach has enhanced its fleet by introducing an extra 12 buses. 

The company which operates between Nairobi to Western and Nyanza made a slight adjustment of Sh100 to its fares.

“The decision to slightly modify prices stems from our commitment to sharing costs with our valued clients. Our primary strongholds encompass Central Nyanza, Western and South Nyanza regions.

“We are ensuring our drivers adhere strictly to driving regulations, limiting their shifts to a maximum of 10 hours while prioritising road safety,” said Dennis Ouma Okoth, Station Manager of Easy Coach.

The SGR, which Kenyans love to use as a cheaper and faster means of transport, is fully booked, with the earliest availability of seats from Nairobi to Mombasa being on December 30. 

Airlines are also having a field day with full bookings this season. At Jambo Jet, attempts by Nation team to book flights from Kisumu to Mombasa found that they were fully booked until December 30.

Bookings for the airline to travel from Nairobi to Mombasa were limited as Christmas approaches.

Similarly, Skyward Airlines experienced a high demand, and although flights were available on December 24, bookings from Nairobi to Mombasa were unavailable for the rest of the days through their website until December 31. The national carrier Kenya Airways (KQ) added an aircraft to its fleet in order to cater for increased demand during the festive season.

The airline said that the A330 Airbus which was leased from Hi Fly, a Portugal based aircraft leasing company has a capacity for 299 passengers, 24 in the business cabin and 275 in the economy class.

“With the current capacity constraints on the back of the growing demand for airline travel, we need to balance our customers’ immediate needs by bringing more capacity into the market.

With the arrival of the aircraft, we expect to see improved operational stability and efficiency, as well as enhanced capacity for the convenience of our passengers,” Kenya Airways Group Managing Director and CEO, Allan Kilavuka said in a statement.

At the coastal tourism hubs of Mombasa, Kwale and Kilifi, every visitor has a unique motive whether it's the allure of the ocean, the delectable coastal dishes, or the vibrant beach parties during the festive season.

A local tourist in Mombasa, Morris Njoroge hailing from Nairobi, who was part of the revelers boarding at one of the prestigious beach front hotels, said it was important for him to unwind from the tough year.

"I just got here for the holiday, and I will be in Mombasa for a week before I go back to work. What I need is some time to unwind," he said.  

These sentiments are shared by many others who say despite enduring hiked taxes and prices of food and essential commodities, December is the only season when most of them can get adequate time to be with their families and loved ones. Ms Nancy Atieno, who lives in Eldoret, said she had prepared to celebrate the holidays at the Coast, and the economic times would not interfere her plans.

"I started planning for this in August. Times were tough, but my children knew they were to enjoy the holidays in Mombasa," said Ms Atieno.

 According to the Chief Executive Officer for Coast Holiday Homes, Mr Habel Mwakio, the number of Kenyans flocking to the Coast to celebrate is encouraging for the sector.

Mr Mwakio said even with an increase in the number of homestay cottages and apartments popularly known as Airbnb as compared to last year, more than 75 per cent are occupied and more bookings are ongoing towards the big holiday weeks. Interest by tourists in these apartments and cottages is increasing especially since hotel rooms across the region are booked at over 90 per cent.

This has pushed investors to hike charges, with a three-bedroom apartment which was previously going for Sh17,000 per night now getting charged at Sh30,000 in Nyali.

"We have had to increase our charges because of the influx of individuals currently and the ones who we are expecting as Christmas approaches.

Kenyans are willing to pay to have the holiday at the Coast," says Mr Mwakio.

Speaking in Mombasa after holding a stakeholder meeting, Cabinet Secretary for Tourism Alfred Mutua said that the government was determined to make the coast great again as far as tourism was concerned.

"We have discussed several is-sues to improve the level of tourism in Kenya and more so in the Coastal region.

“We do not want regional and international tourists to come here knowing we are coming to five-star hotels, only to receive a one-star reception. We are going to rate the hotels once more," said Dr Mutua.

The coastal County governors, including Issa Timammy (Lamu), Fatuma Achani (Kwale), Gideon Mung’aro (Kilifi), and Abdulswamad Nassir (Mombasa), urged the government to help mitigate the challenges affecting the industry to enable the people to enjoy the fruits of the industry.

In Nairobi, the parcels business has shot up for those Kenyans that have opted not to go home, and would want to instead send presents to their loved ones.

For instance, ENA Coach CEO Mr Richard Bosire told Nation that the number of trucks that are in operation for transporting parcels from their several offices across the country have increased from seven which were in use last December to around 25. 

Reports by Jurgen Nambeka, Kevin Cheruiyot and Mercy Simiyu