Tour operator nabbed in park entry revenue fraud risks a ban from entering national parks

Voi, Monday, April 17, 2023 

K.N.A By Wagema Mwangi

A leading tour-operator from the Coast region risks being blacklisted from entering national parks and other protected areas after he was implicated in a park-revenue fraud scandal in Tsavo National Park.

Mr. Abdul Malik Mohammed, the manager of Malik Tour Company, a Malindi-based tour company, is alleged to have colluded with an unscrupulous Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) customer care assistant manning one of the entry gates for Tsavo West National Park.

Speaking to KNA on Sunday, Tsavo Conservation Area Senior Assistant Director Kenneth Ochieng said a thorough forensic investigation on payments made by Mr. Malik disclosed that the operator had only paid a paltry Sh815 instead of the required Sh24, 902.

“This is a clear case of theft involving a tour operator and a staff member. We are committed to sealing all avenues where such fraud takes place because this money is what the government requires to fund public projects,” he said.

According to the investigations, Malik had brought four tourists for a game drive in Tsavo National Park on 6th April. He accessed the Tsavo West National Park through the Maktau Gate and was issued with a temporary pass.

Aboard the tour vehicle were four non-residents tourists; two adults and two children. The total payable park entry fee for the vehicle, the driver and everyone in it including the  operator himself was Sh24,902.

However, a hawk-eyed revenue inspection team on routine check discovered discrepancies of payments entered on the original documentation that differed on the details captured on the carbon copy.

The discrepancy forced the team to check on the M-Pesa transaction recorded at the gate upon his entry where it was discovered that the tour company had paid less than Sh1000 for a package that goes for over Sh20,000.

A forensic analysis on phone conversation between the Customer care assistant and the tour company showed the two had schemed on how to defraud the park of the revenue.

Ochieng stated that the nabbing of the revenue fraudsters was a pointer to commitment by KWS to establish an elaborate revenue-collection oversight system to seal all loopholes through fraud could take place.

“The revenue collection oversight team has been key to unearthing such schemes by fraudsters who want to establish fraud enterprises within the revenue system,” he said.

The Tsavo boss stated that rogue drivers and tour operators who connived with disloyal KWS workers to evade paying the required fee while accessing the national parks would be dealt with firmly.

He added that all tour firms allowed to operate in the protected areas were aware of the park’s rules and regulations that ought to be adhered to including the rules on payments.

He pointed out that cumulatively, such thefts of park entry charges and other levies have the potential to make KWS lose tens of millions of shillings in revenue every year.

“This might not look like a lot of money but the park receives hundreds of visitors daily especially during the high season. If such fraud takes place, KWS can lose millions of shillings,” he explained.

Reports say the suspect was arrested on Sunday in his Malindi office and would be arraigned in court to answer charges of conspiring to defraud KWS park revenues.

The discovery of collusion between tour operators and rogue staff cast a spotlight on an issue that has been a headache for the KWS for ages. Revenue loss as a result of theft and pilferage by rogue revenue officers has been cited as a key cause in the dip in revenue by the wildlife agency.

As part of strengthening and enhancing revenue collection within the national parks, KWS is poised to introduce a digitized cashless payment system that is touted as a sustainable solution to sealing the revenue collection loopholes likely to be exploited by crooks.

Data shows that conservation fee which includes park entry charges contribute the largest chunk of revenues by KWS. In 2022, conservation fees contributed 81 percent of the total revenues raised by KWS.

Already, plans are underway to review the park conservation fees; a move that is viewed as an effort by KWS to raise revenue to create a robust conservation system to promote tourism activities while at the same time strengthening cooperation between partners and other tour stakeholders.

Courtesy K.N.A