Meru County Country Inn, Kenya
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
Our property traverses the Mboone River. The river has its source in the nearby hills bounding the town. Its volume has depleted considerably over the years as a result of increasing population and environmental degradation in its catchment area.
The river meanders through the town collecting along the way all the rubbish and pollution. At the entrance to our property we trap the waste, freeing the waterway from the rubbish, thus ensuring that the bulk of the waste from the town does not cascade down the river.
We have contributed to combating soil erosion by planting papyrus and other aquatic plants in addition to numerous indigenous trees, bushes and flowering shrubs on the river banks, without altering the natural course of the river. By cleaning up our stretch of the river and by greening and beautifying our landscape, we have had the effect of attracting considerable bird life.
Thus, through our efforts we have re-developed part of Maua town by taking advantage of its natural attribute (the Mboone River). We have also contributed to adding natural beauty and colour to a rural Kenyan town, hence to uplifting the quality of life in the town in general.
Community
The countryside around Maua town epitomizes the idyllic beauty of the Kenyan countryside. The town of 40,000 also embodies the contradictions of many small towns in rural Kenya - unplanned development of urban settlements, environmental pollution, poverty and social exclusion in sections of the society, high under-employment levels among the youth, and of course, scarcity of hospitality products of acceptable quality.
These challenges are all the more daunting because the town has been expanding rapidly in recent years due to it's evolving status as the leading centre of the trade in Miraa (known internationally as Khat - scientific name "Catha endulis"), the green twig chewed for its amphetamine-like properties and marketed widely throughout Kenya, the region and in some countries overseas. Maua town also attracts a stream of visitors since it is a district headquarters hosting many Government offices and services.
We have contributed to transforming the quality of life in Maua town by recognizing local issues and needs – such as high under-employment levels among the youth, need to create more gainful opportunities for women and the dire scarcity of hospitality products of acceptable quality – and actively trying to address them.
At the time of construction lasting slightly over a year, we created many opportunities for gainful employment in the community. Like with our other projects - Ikweta Safari Camp, Meru National Park, Murera Gate, and Lake View Studios, Nairobi, with an emphasis on simple elegance, style, convenience, affordability and value-for-money - at Ikweta Country Inn there was explicit choice in the use of readily available local materials in construction, design and decor.
From building stone to sand to ballast; from timber to other wood products to roofing material, all were sourced locally. So were the scores of seedlings of indigenous trees, bushes and shrubs used in landscaping our riverfront setting. By sourcing most of our construction and other materials locally we generated income opportunities for considerable numbers of small businesses and service providers, with spillover benefits in the wider community.
During construction we provided employment opportunities for both skilled and unskilled workers in the community as a result of our investment in the area. The scores of skilled artisans and their helpers – from masons to plumbers to metal welders; from carpenters to painters to electricians – were all recruited locally. At different times our employment roster comprised hundreds of workers. These opportunities were greatly appreciated in the community which is rich in agricultural potential but also has deeply rooted pockets of poverty and social exclusion especially among women and the youth.
Since opening Ikweta Country Inn, we have continued to support the local community in several other important ways. A significant number of the workers in all departments of the hotel – Kitchen, Food and Beverage, Housekeeping, Gardening, Security, Back Office, General Cleaning – are recruited from the local area.
We continue to favour the employment of women whenever appropriate because of the recognized wider family and community gains of such action.
We source our fresh food items (fruit, vegetable, meat, fish, milk, etc.) from small-scale farmers and traders in the area.
By establishing Ikweta Country Inn – as a high-standard hotel in a sizable rural town where there was no such comparable facility before – we have added considerable value to the quality of life for both locals and visitors alike.
In a national and international setting where the cost of tourism products can be considerable, especially for locals as well as for visitors of modest means, we intended our facility to reflect both affordability and value-for-money while also upholding high-standards.
These are important considerations especially for visitors wishing to explore the complete wilderness of the nearby Meru National Park, one of Africa’s most beautiful national parks yet one of Kenya’s least visited parks, this despite the oft declared intention of Kenya Government to decongest Maasai Mara National Reserve, one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations, by redirecting more visitors to Meru National Park.
Meru National Park is part of the wider Meru Conservation Area and is one of the most important economic resources in the community. Hence, attracting more visitors to the area through efforts to promote more affordable tourism would have wider spill-over benefits to the community – in gainful employment especially for the youth, growth in small-scale enterprises such as in handicrafts, and in service provision in general. Ikweta Country Inn, and our associated sister products - Ikweta Safari Camp, Meru National Park, Murera Gate, and Lake View Studios, Nairobi, contribute to these efforts through our brand of hospitality products.
Moreover, as reflected in the environment section above, our location across the Mboone River and our actions to beautify and conserve the riverfront setting have added considerable value to the quality of life in the town. This is appreciated by the community as reflected by scores of the locals who frequently choose the setting for social events, such as a backdrop for wedding photo sessions, or by professional groups as a venue for both formal and informal gatherings.
1of3
