Do you want to rent, rebuild and manage a lodge in the Kenyan bush, within one of its national parks, to live and work in contact with nature and animals, and promote safari tourism in this wonderful country? The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), a Kenyan government agency, has launched a project with the aim of giving national and international investors the opportunity to lease, restore or rebuild 13 hospitality situations within the national parks it manages.

In a call for tenders dated 2 April, KWS included several sites in various parks, including the Nairobi National Park, in the plan.
In Nairobi National Park, for instance, the government is seeking to lease five locations, including Kisembe Site, Rangers Park, KWS Club House Site, Sebastian Restaurant Site and Southern Bypass Sites.
The hotels listed for rent and development include luxury tented camps, a 20-bed business hotel, restaurants and event spaces.
Similarly, in Meru National Park, KWS is seeking investors to oversee a 40-60 bed tented camp in the Fig Tree area and another 40-80 bed lodge in the Mulika site.

There are also 30-bed tented camps that KWS proposes to lease and manage in Tsavo West and Tsavo East national parks.
Some 'luxury' tented camps in Amboseli National Park and Aberdare National Park have also been listed in the investors' plan.
"Interested applicants may seek further information from the Kenya Wildlife Service's procurement office, head office, from 8am to 5pm weekdays, Tel: 020-2379407-15 or mobile: 0726610508/9, or email: hps@kws.go.ke," the notice reads in part.
This announcement was somewhat pre-announced by the Minister of Tourism, Alfred Mutua, after his meeting with the US Ambassador in Nairobi, Meg Whitman.

"I had a conversation with US Ambassador Meg Whitman during a courtesy visit to my office in Nairobi. Our talks focused on mutual interests, exploring the potential for US investors to establish tourism facilities in our parks and reserves through public-private partnership agreements,' it was reported in the national media.
Let us see how this will evolve, hoping of course that the selection will be dictated by principles of conservation and respect for the environment, not just business.