Sept 22 -- Kenya’s ministry of tourism and wildlife is planning to launch an ambitious campaign designed to encourage its U.S.-based citizens to promote Kenya as a premier travel destination.

A delegation led by ministry officials and members of the Kenya Tourism Board, a national body for tour operators, travel agents and hoteliers, is scheduled to make a one-day stop in Chicago early next month to meet Kenyans and their American friends and sell their idea about how they can best help promote their motherland.

According to Mukila Maitha, president of United Kenyans of Chicago (UKC) which has helped plan and host the delegation, the main goal of the Oct 1 launch will be for the Ministry of Tourism to announce the launch of the Kenya Abroad Program, which is designed to empower Kenyans abroad in promoting their country.”

Lina Ochieng, the commercial attaché at Kenyan embassy in Washington said, “This program will go ways in fulfilling a dream of the late Hon. Karisa Maitha, Minister for Tourism and Wildlife in the Kenyan government.” Before he met his sudden death last month, the late Maitha was in Germany was leading a delegation of Kenyan officials and tour operators to jumpstart his dream pf wanting increase tourist receipts up to one million by yearend.

The embassy, which is also coordinating the schedule of the visiting officials, scheduled Chicago among four other major cities the delegation has earmarked for this program. These include New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Denver, CO.

According to immigration statistics, Kenya has an estimated 100,000 citizens residing in the U.S. Most of them are non-immigrants pursing further studies in America’s college and universities. An International Institute of Education (IIE) record indicates that in 2003, Kenya led other Africans countries with the highest number of foreign students coming to the US to study.

The launch will take place at a UKC planned a dinner in Willowbrook, Illinois, 45 miles southwest of Chicago, at a local Holiday Inn. Kenyans and friends are encouraged to attend the dinner, which is ticketed at $29 per person and $14 for children aged 12 and under. For more information, please contact UKC officials by calling 847-258-7214 or e-mail info@chicagokenyans.org
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