In the recent past, Kenya has hosted several international conferences, the most recent one on the Climate Change. Incidentally, at this conference the term climate tourist, which referred to delegates who came to tour Kenya's "exotic" landscape, including nature and poor people, was coined. 

According to Brian Adero, a reporter with the East African Standard, the Kenyan hotel industry is worried about handling the large influx of delegates in Nairobi. In addition to the need for accomodation is the logistical and security burden on the city. In this same article, Adero speaks to a hotel manager who tells him Nairobi hotels could barely host the 5,000 delegates during the Climate Change.

Sources in Nairobi say that the handling of the logistics is more than chaotic. It is near impossible. There are simply not enough hotels in the city to accomodate the delegates. What's more, by their nature grassroots organisers are very different from large international or national NGO's -- they don't have large budgets.

Thus, they will be hardpressed to stay at some of the bigger tourist hotels. A friend in Nairobi called to tell me about an interesting ad she saw.  There are ads on the streets of Nairobi that say, "Earn $20/a day, by hosting delegates during the WSF during the week of Jan 20th to Jan 25th." (If someone sees one of these ads could you take a picture and mail it to me?)  One holds the ardent hope that no unsavoury types will take undue advantage of the guests!

What steps has the Kenyan government taken if any?  It is mindblogging that no-one saw this as an opportunity to enhance and promote  economic growth. How about the private sector? Have they no foresight? If well organized, the economic impact of the WSF would have been astronomical. An example is set by the activities of Kenyan youth groups who see this as an opportuntiy to have a platform to advance their agenda.    

The impact of the war in Ethiopia's invasion of Somalia and subsequent security warnings is unforeseen. We can only hope that it does not impact negatively on attendance and conduction of the conference.

Kenya has been presented with a once in a lifetime opportunity.  From their experience in Nairobi, the  international community will not only judge Kenya, but the whole of Africa: we are one country after all. Will we fall into the stereotype of what Africa is (?) or will  Kenya give us a pleasant surprise and will be the almost perfect host.

Read another article by the same writer on the same subject here, World Social Forum in Kenya.