The Tourist Police Unit (TPU) plans to open a new base in Kisumu city to manage the Western tourism circuit, which is facing a shortage of officers.
TPU Commandant Paul Soi said the Kisumu base was critical to address security challenges facing the sector in the area, which has recorded tremendous growth.
Soi said most cases reported to the unit involve burglary, theft, and conmanship, in which unregistered tour operators swindle tourists.
TPU is headquartered in Nairobi and has bases in Mombasa, Kwale, Kilifi, Malindi, Narok, and Nakuru.
“We have seen a rise in cases where tourists lose valuables and money in hotels. In Maasai Mara, we have recorded cases of tents being cut and money stolen from tourists.”
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Further, he stated that TPU has scaled up community policing efforts to enhance information sharing between the community and other sector players and effectively respond to concerns.
He said surveillance has been enhanced across all tourist attraction sites through collaboration with the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) and tour operators to monitor visitors' movement and ensure their safety.
Speaking during a Tourism Safety workshop in Kisumu, the commandant urged hotel managers to keep up-to date records of all tourists using the facilities to ensure that their safety is guaranteed.
He said the information must include the tourists' origin and medical records to ensure that they are properly cared for during their stay.
“This is a very serious matter. If the hotels had obtained information on the affected tourists, proper mechanisms would have been put in place to give them support,” he said.
Similarly, he said tour operators must enhance professionalism to ensure that visitors are treated well.
He also revealed that cases of accidents involving tour vehicles were on the rise, with some seven lives lost this year.
Moreover, he said the Kisumu office will manage the larger western tourism circuit, which covers over 14 counties.
