WILDLIFE CONSERVATION AND TOURISM IN

EAST AFRICA
WILDLIFE CONSERVATION
Wildlife refers to flora (plants) and fauna (animals) in their natural setting.

Wildlife conservation refers to the protection and sustainable use of non-

domesticated flora and fauna.

REASONS FOR PROMOTING WILDLIFE CONSERVATION

 To conserve nature in flora and fauna

 To promote tourism
 To encourage research and study
 To provide animal products e.g hides and skins,ivory.
 For recreation purposes (amusement)
 To prevent extinction of some animals and plants.
 To provide employment opportunities to the people e.g game rangers.

WAYS OF CONSERVING WILDLIFE

 Establishing national parks,wildlife reserves,game sanctuaries

 Licensing the wildlife game hunters.
 Banning trade in wild game products e.g ivory
 Education of the masses on the importance of wildlife.
 Training and empowering game rangers.
 Forming anti-poaching game units (community based eco tourism).
 Restocking wildlife reserves.
 Setting up Ramsar sites e.g lake Opeta,lake bisina,lutembe bay, Mabamba bay,
Murchison falls
NB. Eco tourism refers to responsible travel to natural areas , conserving the
environment and improving the well being of the local people.

FACTORS FOR THE DECLINE OF WILDLIFE/PROBLEMS AFFECTING

CONSERVATION OF WILDLIFE

o Poaching
o Increase in population e.g in Kasese

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 o Encroachment on gazetted areas e.g in Buliisa.
o Political instability
o Traditional hunters
o Pests and diseases.
o Bush fires
o Harsh climate

PROTECTED WILDLIFE AREAS IN EAST AFRICA

1. NATIONAL PARKS/ GAME PARKS

These are large tracts of land in their natural state established

by an Act of parliament to protect the natural and scenic beauty for the public.

NB. Hunting is strictly not allowed within the national park.

MAJOR NATIONAL PARKS IN EAST AFRICA

KENYA
Kenya has the largest number of national parks and game reserves in East Africa.
There are over 21 national parks, 4 marine, 23 national reserves, 5 national marine
reserves and one local sanctuary.

Kenya is a home of tremendous biodiversity of flora and fauna. National parks in

Kenya include the following.

National park Location(size) Attractions

Tsavo East and Located along Open grasslands, scrublands, acacia woodlands,
Tsavo West Mombasa- riverine vegetation, rocky ridges, hot springs like
Nairobi highway Mzima, lava flows like Shetani, Yatta plateau, River
(7,065km²)... Galana, wild animals like elephants, lions, rhinos,
largest buffaloes, leopards, hippos, crocodiles, waterbucks

Nairobi(very Nairobi Wide open grass plains, scattered acacia bush, wild
unique due to it's (117km²) animals like endangered black rhinos, lions,
proximity to the leopards, cheetahs, hynas, buffaloes, giraffes and
CBD of the capital diverse bird life

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city

Lake Nakuru Nakuru(118km²) Rift valley, woody and bushy grassland, menengai
crater, mau escarpment, ridges, lake Nakuru,
famous for millions of pink flamingo birds, white
rhinos. Activities include bird watching, hiking,
picnics and game drives

Aberdare 765.7km² Rift valley, steep forested ravines, open moorland,

animals like elephants, black rhinos, leopards,
baboons, Black and White colobus monkeys,
buffaloes, warthogs,African wild cat, golden cat and
bush bucks

Hell's 68km² Lake Naivasha, towering cliffs, rock towers, scrub

Gate( named for volcanoes, geothermal steam, wild animals like
the intense elephants, zebras, antelopes etc.
geothermal
activity within it's
boundaries

Amboseli(Kenya's 390,26km² Large herds of elephants, stunning view of

second most mt.kilimanjaro and mt.Meru, the dried up bed of
popular after lake Amboseli, contemporary Masai culture, other
Masai Mara wild animals like buffaloes, hippos birds like the
reserve) pelicans and Egyptian goose

Ol Donyo Sabuk (20.7km²) Buffaloes are the most dominant animals. Others
are bush bucks, leopards, baboons, scenic views of
mt. Kenya from the summit. Activities include
camping, mountain climbing, game viewing.

Sibiloi (1,570km) Wild and rugged shores of lake Turkana,

archeological sites like Koobi Fora with fossil
remains, semi desert habitat and open plains, mt.
Sibiloi

Malindi marine Coral reefs, Indian ocean, white sandy beaches

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 Marsabit (1554 km²) Craters, elephants, forests, buffaloes

Meru(remote and 870km² Views of mt. Kenya, Tana river and Adamson's falls
rugged park, it's a on R.Tana, wild animals like zebras, elephants,
sister park with cobras, buffaloes, pythons, hartebeests
Kora NP)

Kora 1787 Tall inselbergs, Tana river with Adamson's falls

and Kora rapids, diverse bird life

Mountain (52km²) Extinct Longonot volcano, thick crater forest, views

Longonot of lake Naivasha, rift valley, wild animals like
buffaloes, elands, lions, leopards, bushbucks,
zebras, giraffes and gazelles, birds of prey

Mt. Kenya (2,124 km²) Mt. Kenya, glaciers, lakes, wild animals like
elephants tree hyrax, bushbucks, eland etc

Mt. Elgon (169km²) Mt. Elgon with caves, elephants, bush bucks,
buffaloes

Other national parks include Chyulu hills, Central island in lake turkana, Ndere
island on lake Victoria, Ruma, saiwa swamp, south island on lake turkana

UGANDA
Wildlife in Uganda is mainly managed by the Uganda wildlife Authority (UWA).

There are 10 national parks which include the following

NATIONAL LOCATION (SIZE) ATTRACTIONS ACTIVITIES

PARK

Murchison Kiryandongo(3893km²)(the - Victoria Nile that bisects -Game

Falls largest) the NO from east to west, viewing
a large chunk of African
(Created in -Filming
savannaland, wild
1952)
animals : Has uganda's -Research

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 largest population of
crocodiles. Others are
elephants, lions, kobs,
African hippopotami,
giraffes, antelopes,
buffaloes, and birds like
dwarf kingfisher, rare
shoebilled stork Great
Blue Turaco , etc

Queen Kasese (1978km²) second - lake George in the NE, It's popular
Elizabeth largest L.Edward in the South for boat
West, Kazinga channel, riding, game
(Established
Maramagambo forest, viewing
in 1962)
large chunk of African
savannaland and the
tropical rainforest, dense
papyrus swamps, Animals
include elephants, hippos,
warthogs, lions, crocodiles,
kobs, falcons, flamingos
etc.

Kidepo Kaabong(1442km²) Mt. Morungole, Kidepo and Game

Valley Narus rivers, Kananorok viewing,
hot spring, open tree hiking,
(Established
savanna, wild animals cultural
in 1962)
like zebras, Uganda Kob, performance,
ostriches, antelopes, nature walks
buffaloes, elephants etc,
small hills, outcrop rocks,
inselbergs

Lake mburo Kiruhura (260km²). It's the Acacia woodlands, animals

smallest of Uganda's like zebras, antelopes,
(Est. in
Impalas, hippos,

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1983) savanna national parks. crocodiles, warthogs,
elands, jackals, leopards.
Activities include game
viewing, bird viewing, boat
riding

Mt. Elgon Mbale (1110km²) Animals include monkeys, -Mountain

elephants, antelopes, climbing
(Est. in NB Kenya's part of the park
buffaloes etc, abundancy
1992) covers 169km² -Game and
of butterflies, it's a
bird viewing
catchment area for River
Nzoia in Kenya which
flows into lake Victoria
and River Turkwel which
flows into lake Turkana.

Mount Kasese (998km²) Rwenzori mountain peaks Mountain

Rwenzori like Stanley, Speke and climbing is
Baker, glaciers, snowfields, the leading
(Est. in
water falls and lakes, wiild activity,
1991)
animals like elephants, others
chimpanzees, hyrax, black include ice
and white colobus skating due
monkeys etc to presence
of ice

Bwindi Kanungu (331km²) Part of Bwindi Gorilla

Impenetrable Impenetrable forest, tracking is
critically endangered the main
(Est. in
mountain gorillas, black activity.
1991)
and white colobus Others are
monkeys, African guided walks
elephants, chimpanzees for monkey
and birds like horn bills watching
and turacos, butterflies, and birding.

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 chameleons

Mgahinga Kisoro (33.7km²) Covers 3 of the 8 Virunga -Mountain

gorilla NP volcanic mountains of climbing
muhavura, sabinio and
(Est. in -Gorilla
Gahinga all lying on the
1991) tracking
Uganda-Rwanda border,
endangered mountain
gorillas

Semliki Bundibugyo (220km²) Rift valley, hot springs like Scenery

Mumbuga, Rwenzori viewing,
(Est. in Located in remote Bwamba
mountains and part of the forest walks
1993) county within the Albertine
Semliki lowland tropical and primate
rift.
rain forests, wild animals tracking
like buffaloes, elephants,
crocodiles, hippos, water
bucks, leopards, Mona
monkeys, pygmy flying
squirrel

Kibale Fort portal (776km²) Both lowland and montane Game

forests, forms a viewing,
(Est. in
continuous forest with research and
1993)
Queen Elizabeth NP, wild study
animals like habituated activities(it's
chimpanzees(most the location
popular) of Makerere
University
Biological
field station)
and bird
watching

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TANZANIA
The national parks and reserves found in Tanzania are extremely big and cover
large areas. Wildlife in Tanzania is managed by the Tanzania National Parks
Authority which manages 17 national parks, Tanzania Wildlife Division mannages
game reserves and Ngorongoro Conservation Authority manages the Ngorongoro
Conservation Area. National parks include the following

NATIONAL AREA ATTRACTIONS

PARK

Serengeti (14750km²) Mainly the White bearded wildebeest. Others are

(largest) zebras, Nile crocodiles, lions, gazelles, buffaloes,
hippos, flamingoes, cheetahs, grey crowned crane

mt.kilimanjaro (1688km²) Mt. Kilimanjaro, wild animals like buffaloes,

leopards, elephants, bush bucks, blue monkeys,
black and white colobuses. Main activity is mountain
climbing

Manyara (325km²) Rift valley, lake Manyara, popular for flamingoes,

others are Kingfishers, wild animals like elephants,
leopards, masai lions, cheetahs, blue monkeys,
masai giraffes, hippopotami, dik-dik etc. It's ideal for
bird watching

Tarangire (2,850km2) Tarangire river, famous for its thousands of

elephants. Others include zebras, wildebeest,
buffaloes, giraffes, vervet monkeys, olive baboons,
lions, leopards, cheetahs, African wild dog

Ruaha (20,226 Great Ruaha river, famous for its large elephant
km²) population. Others are cheetahs, African leopard,
lions (Africa's second largest population), spotted
hyna,giraffe, hippos, African buffaloes, African wild
dog(third largest population in the world)

Arusha (137km²) Mt. Meru volcano, large number of elephants and

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 black rhinos

Katavi (4,472 River Katuma, seasonal lake Katavi and lake Chada
km²)..3rd flood plains.
largest
Very remote park that is less frequently visited than
other Tanzanian parks

Mahale (1,650km²) It's the only place where chimpanzees and lions co-
exist. It's remote with no roads and other
infrastructure within the park boundaries and the
only way in and out of the park is via boat on the
lake

Mikumi (3,230km²) Savanna dotted with acacia, baobab, rare palm, mts
Rubeho and Uluguru, wild animals like masai giraffe,
elephants, zebras, Impala, eland, kudu, black
antelope, baboons, wildebeests and buffaloes

Less visited by international tourists

Mkomazi (3,234km²)

(Continuous
with kenya's
Tsavo west NP)

Udzungwa (1990km²) Tropical rainforest, Miombo woodlands, grassland.

mountains Main activities include hiking, trekking as the park
has no roads and is accessible only on foot. The most
common walk is the Sanje waterfalls trails

Saadani (1,062 km²) It's the only wildlife sanctuary in TZ bordering the
Indian ocean, wild animals like lions, elephants,
buffaloes, leopards, velvet monkeys

Other national parks in Tanzania include Gombe stream, Jozani Chwaka bay(the
only NP in Zanzibar island), Kitulo, Rubondo island-,which started as a chimpanzee

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sanctuary on the south western corner of L.Victoria mainly for sport fishing and bird
watchers, Saanane island located on an island in lake Victoria-Mwanza

2. WILDLIFE RESERVES/GAME RESERVES

These are gazetted areas by the law of the state whose wildlife is set aside for future
use/development.

Game reserves are mainly turned into Game parks.

A game reserve is also used to prevent over stocking in national parks by

transferring excess wild animals from national parks to wild life reserves.

Examples of wildlife reserves in East Africa include the following

a) In Tanzania, they include Selous which is the largest. Others are Ngorongoro,
Tarangire, Ugalla river, Kigozi, Moyowosi, Biharamulo etc. Like national parks,
wildlife reserves in Tanzania are extremely large.

A SKETCH MAP OF TANZANIA SHOWING MAJOR NATIONAL PARKS AND

WILDLIFE RESERVES

Page 10 of 48
(b) In Kenya they include Masai Mara which is the largest, Marsabit,Tana,
Samburu, Shimba hills, Kora, Lake Bogoria, Kakamega etc.
A SKETCH MAP OF KENYA SHOWING MAJOR NATIONAL PARKS AND
WILDLIFE RESERVES

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 (c) In Uganda they include Pian upe in moroto which is the largest, Bokora corridor
in Moroto, Matheniko in moroto, Katonga in Ibanda and kamwenge districts,
Karuma in kiryandongo, Ajai in Arua, semliki in fort portal, bugungu in Buliisa,
Kigezi in Rukungiri, Kyambura etc

A SKETCH MAP OF UGANDA SHOWING MAJOR NATIONAL PARKS AND

WILDLIFE RESERVES

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3. WILDLIFE SANCTUARIES

These are areas gazetted by the state to preserve wildlife which are rare,
endangered and nearing extinction.

These are areas where specific birds and animals are kept for public viewing. They
include:

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  Ngamba island sanctuary on lake Victoria in Mukono for orphaned
chimpanzees rescued by UWA from poachers
 Mt.Otze in Moyo and Mt. Kei in Koboko for white rhinos
 Zziwa Rhino sanctuary in Nakasongola for Rhinos and rare ostriches.
 Mgahinga in Kisoro and Bwindi in Kanungu for mountain gorillas.
 Kisumu Impala sanctuary, Lake Simbi national sanctuary in Kenya for
flamingoes and little Eglets.
 Nkomazi rhino sanctuary with black rhinos, Gombe park in Tanzania

4. ZOO

It's a place where various animal species are kept and provided with similar
conditions existing in their natural habitats for public viewing and research.

The animal species are always caged and provided with the same conditions
prevailing in their natural habitat.

Examples of zoos in East Africa include the following

 Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC) in Entebbe.

 Nairobi zoo in Kenya
 Saa Nane zoo in Mwanza, Tanzania

5. CONTROLLED HUNTING AREAS/COMMUNITY WILDLIFE AREAS

It's an area where hunting of certain animals is allowed but limited. In this case
hunters are given permits/licenses to operate e.g South Karamoja,
Chepsikunya,nLipan in Kitgum, Madi in West nile, Karenga in karenga, Kaiso, Tonya,
Iriri etc

CONDITIONS THAT HAVE FAVOURED WILDLIFE CONSERVATION IN EAST

AFRICA

 Presence of a variety of animals and plant life.

 Presence of large tracts of land
 Abundant grasslands to provide feeds to herbivores
 Gently sloping/flat land for easy movement of wild animals
 Reliable water supply from rivers and lakes for drinking by wild animals.
 Favourable government policy of conserving wildlife
 Skilled labour like game rangers to protect wild animals against poachers.

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  Political stability provides a condusive atmosphere for wildlife conservation

IMPORTANCE OF WILDLIFE CONSERVATION

o Tourism development
o Employment
o Revenue
o Economic diversification
o Development of infrastructure
o Acquisition of skills
o Effective utilisation of would be idle lands.

TOURISM

This is an activity that involves travelling/moving from one place to another for
purposes of pleasure/leisure,study or curiosity.

Tourism is an important invisible export that greatly contributes to foreign

exchange in East Africa

CONDITIONS FAVOURING TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN EAST AFRICA

Physical

 Presence of a variety of wildlife in NPs,GRs etc that attract tourists for

viewing and photography
 Presence of many draining features like lakes and rivers, Indian ocean attract
tourists for swimming,boat cruises,sport fishing etc.
 Presence of beautiful scenery in form of rift valley, volcanic and block
mountains attract tourists for viewing, research and photography.
 Presence of condusive sunny climate that promotes sun bathing along
beaches.
 Large land where wildlife conservation areas are setup.
 Strategic location of East Africa crossed by the equator and having a coast
which makes it easily accessible by tourists from European countries.

Human

 Availability of many historical sites e.g Olduvai gorge in Tanzania and

Oloorgesaille in Kenya

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 Modern transport and communication networks like roads for movement of
tourists to and from tourist sites.
 Favourable government policy by gazetting wildlife areas , marketing tourist
potentials.
 Availability of skilled labour to handle tourists at your sites.
 Modern accommodation facilities for tourists e.g hotels,lodges to shelter
tourists.
 Intensive advertisement of tourist potentials through international television
channels,news papers,banners, brochures hence attracting international
tourists.
 A variety of international languages which eases communication between
tourist workers and foreign tourists.
 Relative political stability which attracts tourists.
 Adequate capital provided by the government and rich investors invested in
tourist accommodation, transport etc.
 Adoption of subsidisation policy on local tourism e.g school going children
hence encouraging local tourism.
 Availability of a variety of tour and travel agencies/companies that provide
attractive tour packages like travel and accommodation to tourists.
 Availability of modern banking facilities for easy access to banks in form of
loans for investors in the tourism sector.
 Modern technology in the tourism sector e.g through on-line advertising,on-
line booking,use of wildlife cards etc.
 Good hospitality of East Africans who are welcoming to tourists.

CONTRIBUTION OF TOURISM TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF EAST AFRICA

 It's an invisible export and major source of foreign exchange through

thousands of foreign visitors who spend money on travel and accommodation
 Source of employment opportunities to people like tour guides creating
incomes and raising their standards of living
 Source of revenue to the local government through taxes paid by tour
companies which is used to develop infrastructure
 Development of infrastructure like roads, hospitals
 International relations between East African countries and countries sending
tourists to East Africa
 Economic diversification avoiding over dependency on agriculture

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 Encourages urbanisation through growth of tourist towns with related
advantages like employment
 Encourages education and research e.g by geography students on study trips.
 Maximum utilisation of would be idle resources like the dry lands for wildlife
conservation
 Provides a ready market for agricultural products,art and crafts usually
demanded by tourists.
 Encourages conservation of wildlife in game parks for the future and study
purposes.

PROBLEMS RESULTING FROM TOURISM IN EAST AFRICA

 Displacement of people
 Profit repatriation
 Growth of towns with associated problems like prostitution
 Smuggling of animal species in national parks by some tourists
 Increase in the cost of living in tourist areas.
 Regional imbalance in Development
 Rural urban migration
 Attacks by dangerous wild animals that escape from national parks
 Loss of vegetation due to over grazing by wild animals in national parks
 Pollution of land and water by tourists through poor waste disposal in tourist
sites.
 Accidents during swimming, mountain climbing and other activities
 Competition for resources with other sectors
 High government expenditure on maintaining tourist sites like national parks,
sanctuaries, historical sites.

PROBLEMS FACING THE TOURISM SECTOR IN EAST AFRICA

 Encroachment on gazetted areas due to dense population leading to

disappearance of wild animals.
 Increased poaching of wild animals which is reducing number of wild animals
in national parks
 Hostility of some tribes that make it impossible for tourists to visit areas of
interest.
 Insecurity of some areas of tourism importance that scares away visitors.

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 Threats from terrorist attacks that scare away international tourists e.g in
Kenya.
 Inadequate advertising of tourist potentials limits the number of tourists.
 Shortage of capital to carry out conservation of wildlife,pay workers,invest in
research.
 Unfavourable government policy e.g imposing high taxes which discourage
investment in the tourism sector.
 Shortage of skilled labour to manage the tourism sector e.g tour
guides,interpreters etc.
 Stiff competition between East African countries and other countries with
similar tourist attractions e.g South Africa, Malawi reduces the number of
tourists.
 Inefficient transport network inform of poor roads delay tourist schedules e.g
Kitagata hot springs in Sheema.
 Poor accommodation facilities in some areas coupled with poor services in
hotels scares away tourists.
 Seasonality of tourists making the tourism industry redundant in some
periods e.g summer.
 Inadequate tour and travel agencies discourage tourists.
 Seasonal migration of some wild animals due to drought limits the number of
tourists in such areas.
 Language barrier among the local population limits effective communication
with foreign tourists.
 Low incomes of local people limits domestic tourism.
 Outbreak of diseases such as Ebola scares away tourists.
 Mismanagement and embezzlement of funds by the tourism industry limits
purchase of modern equipment.

STEPS BEING TAKEN TO PROMOTE TOURISM IN EAST AFRICA

o Restoring and maintaining political stability through deploying security

forces in tourist areas
o Upgrading roads and airstrips linking tourism sites.
o Mass education about importance of wildlife and tourism in East Africa
o Training more skilled labour to work in the tourist sector
o Maintaining and rehabilitating of tourist sites e.g historical sites
o Increased advertisement of tourist sites to increase awareness

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 o Rehabilitation and construction of modern hotels and hostels to
accommodate tourists.
o Providing tax incentives to attract investors
o Borrowing capital from the government, commercial banks and international
financial institutions like IMF and WB
o Evicting encroachers of national parks, wildlife reserves etc
o Setting up strict laws against poaching of wild animals
o Establishing wildlife conservation organisations to promote wildlife and
tourism e.g UWA,Uganda Tourism Board

TOURIST ATTRACTIONS IN EAST AFRICA

1. Wildlife. This is the most important tourist attraction in East Africa and it forms
the basis of tourism industry. It consists of flora and fauna in national parks, Game
reserves, sanctuaries,zoos and community wildlife areas/controlled hunting areas.

Tourists are interested in game viewing,bird watching,habits of animals etc.

2. Draining features which include lakes like Nakuru, Victoria,Bunyonyi and

Tanganyika,rivers like Tana,Nile, Pangani and the Indian ocean with beaches such as
Dian beach in Mombasa.

3. Relief features/landscape scenery/beautiful scenery in form of mountains like

Rwenzori, Kenya and Kilimanjaro which are glaciated,the rift valley,coastal
landscape like sandy beaches, coral reefs.

4. The warm sunny climate received through out the year and it appeals to tourists
from Europe who experience winter. It's favourable for sun bathing at the coastal
beaches of Mombasa and Zanzibar. This is influenced by the presence of the equator
line.

5. Historical sites e.g Fort Jesus in Mombasa, Koobi Fora archealogical site in Sibiloi
national park,and Oloorgesaille Stone age site in Kenya, Olduvai gorge, Ismilia stone
age site, Fort Gereza, Kilwa Kiswani ruins and Gedi ruins in Tanzania, Kasubi tombs
in Kampala, Uganda martyrs' shrine in Wakiso, Fort Patiko in Gulu, Nyero rock
paintings in Kumi, Bigo Byamugenyi in Sembabule in Uganda.

6. Rich cultural heritage that is very interesting to foreigners. This is reflected

through a variety of cultural events like entertainment, dressing codes of the masai,
Turkana and Karamojong, circumcision rituals of the Bagishu

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TOURIST ACTIVITIES ASSOCIATED WITH THE ABOVE TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

1. Wildlife is associated with the tourist activities like game viewing, Bird watching,
filming/nature photography, study and research,bnature walks, hunting in
community wildlife areas.

2. Drainage features are associated with swimming, sport fishing, boat cruises, white
water rafting, photography

3. Landscape scenery is associated with mountain climbing in mountanous areas,

hiking around mountains, filming/photography etc.

4. The warm sunny climate is associated with sun bathing along beaches

5. Historical sites are associated with filming, research,etc.

6. Cultural attractions are associated with filming, study etc.

REASONS WHY KENYA'S TOURISM IS MORE DEVELOPED THAN THAT OF

UGANDA AND TANZANIA

 Kenya has a wide range of wildlife and other resources such as beaches.
 Presence of well trained manpower to handle the tourists i.etje large white
population.
 Kenya has a well developed transport network interms of roads and airstrips.
 Easy accessibility of Kenya from overseas through the Indian ocean.
 Kenya's tourism industry is well advertised both at home and abroad e.g on
CNN
 Kenya has many up-to-date accommodation facilities like modern hotels and
camping sites.
 Kenya has been politically stable since independence.

WHY TANZANIA'S TOURISM SECTOR IS STILL UNDER DEVELOPED

 Low levels of advertising

 Under developed transport and communication networks in some areas
 Poaching of wild animals leading to their reduction.
 Shortage of funds to develop the tourism industry.
 Some tourist sites are infested with tsetseflies e.g Miombo woodlands.
 Low standards of the services given to the tourists.

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A SKETCH MAP SHOWING TOURIST ATTRACTIONS IN EAST AFRICA

END

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 MINING IN EAST AFRICA
Mining refers to the extraction of mineral ores (mineral bearing rocks) from the
earth's crust.

Mining in East Africa is not yet developed due to presence of low quality minerals,
small quantities of the minerals, limited capital and use of under developed
technology.

East Africa is endowed with a number of minerals like diamond,copper,soda

ash,gold,iron ore,mica etc. Many of these minerals exist in small quantities e.g gold
in western Kenya,coal in southern Tanzania,iron ore in South western Uganda.
However the most important minerals in East Africa are diamond,copper and soda
ash.

Minerals are formed by the following processes

1. Volcanicity. Under this process, minerals are formed when magma cools down to
form minerals such as diamonds at Mwadui and limestone at Tororo (Sukulu hills)
and Hima in Kasese.

2. Weathering. This breaks down the rocks and the broken particles may be
eroded,transported and deposited in low lands or valleys leading to formation of
minerals like clay, sand, petroleum etc.

3. Sedimentation. This involves formation of sedimentary rocks where there's

deposition of weathered rock materials in the lakes or seas e.g scattered gold, coal,
petroleum, clay, sand etc.

4. Metamorphism. This leads to the change in the nature of rocks due to heat and
pressure. Rocks are exposed to heat and pressure and tend to become harder than
the previous rocks e.g slate from clay, schist from shale, gneiss from granite etc.

TYPES OF MINERALS IN EAST AFRICA

There are three types of minerals i.e

 Metallic minerals. These are the most valuable mineral resources and they
include silver,gold,copper,zinc,lead, aluminum,tin,iron ore,cobalt etc.

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  Non-metallic minerals. These are minerals which are not metals in nature and
they include include phosphates, asbestos, calcium,salt,nitrates,potash,mica,
sulphur,soda ash, limestone, clay, gypsum, graphite etc.
 Energy minerals which provide power e.g oil,coal,natural gas,uranium.

FACTORS FAVOURING THE DEVELOPMENT OF MINING IN EAST AFRICA

Physical

 Presence of a variety of minerals of economic value e.g diamond and copper.

 Presence of large mineral reserves/quantities leading to large scale mining
e.g diamond and limestone.
 Occurrence of some minerals near or on the earth's surface makes mining
relatively easy and cheap e.g diamond in Tanzania.
 Presence of high quality minerals which command a ready market
 Occurrence of some minerals under soft rocks eases mining e.g sand and clay.
 Reliable water supply from lakes and rivers used in the washing and
processing of minerals.
 Gently sloping landscape allows the use of machines during mining.

Human

o Reliable power supply e.g HEP used to run machines in the mines and
process the minerals.
o Large capital from the government and foreign companies used to purchase
mining equipment,pay miners.
o Availability of modern transport networks like roads and railways used to
deliver minerals to processing and market centres .
o Favourable government policy towards mining such as attracting foreign
mining companies.
o Political stability which attracts mining companies.
o Availability of large skilled and semi skilled labour to work in the mines as
miners and transporters.
o Intensive research leading to discovery of new minerals.
o High level of technology involving use of machines like excavators, conveyor
belts in mining leading to large mineral output.
o Availability of a ready market for minerals within and abroad makes mining
profitable to miners.

Page 23 of 48
 MINING IN UGANDA

The major minerals in Uganda include the following

b) Copper and cobalt from the foothills of mount Rwenzori on the steep valleys
of river Nyamwamba in Kasese (Kilembe).
c) Limestone from Sukulu hills in Tororo and Hima in Kasese as well as
Kapchorwa.
d) Gold from Mubende,Kassanda,Busia,Kaabong,Kotido,Moroto etc.
e) Vermiculite in Manafwa
f) Phosphates and asbestos in Tororo.
g) Oil from the lake Albert graben areas of Hoima,Buliisa,Kikube etc.
h) Tin,iron ore and Wolfram in the Kigezi region areas of Kabale and Kisoro

NB. Gold and Vermiculite are Uganda's leading mineral exports by value.

Copper in Uganda is a major mineral that was mined at the foothills of mount
Rwenzori in Kasese.

Copper is formed from sedimentary rocks which have been metamorphosed by heat.

Copper is mined using the Adit method and processing involves crushing, grinding
and floating.

The waste from copper processing is called Gangue which is used for making roads.

After the processing of copper ore,the following are obtained

 Copper concentrate (30%)

 Cobalt which is used in the manufacture of jet engines and high speed cutting
tools like drills.

NB. The recycling of cobalt at Kasese has stopped.

The major mineral in Uganda by independence was copper which was mined at the
foothills of mount Rwenzori on the steep valley of river Nyamwamba which exposed
the copper. It's formed from sedimentary rocks which are metamorphosed by heat.

The method of mining was Adit and processing involved crushing, grinding and
floating.

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Copper was initially transported by pipeline from mount Rwenzori to Kasese and
then by railway to Jinja for smelting due to reliable power supply in Jinja by then.

The government recently attempted to revitalise copper mining under a Chinese

company called Tibet mines.

MINING IN KENYA

Kenya has the least minerals in East Africa and this makes mining of small
importance of Kenya's economy. However the following minerals exist.

 Soda ash from lake Magadi. This is Kenya's leading or most important mineral
export.
 Flourspar mined at Kimwarer in the Kerio valley of the rift valley. It's Kenya's
second most important mineral.
 Gold from Kakamega in Nyanza province and at the coast.
 Diamond and coral limestone in Mombasa (Bamburi) at the coast.
 Copper from Macalder.
 Salt at lake Magadi,at Malindi along the coast (Malindi is Kenya's main salt
mining area).

SODA ASH MINING IN KENYA

This is mined from lake Magadi which is found in the dry floor of the rift valley.

Formation of soda ash

When it rains, leaching of the soda rich in volcanic rocks takes place, they
accumulate beneath lake Magadi. Beneath the basin,water is heated by the hot lava
and it comes out to the surface through hot springs. There is rapid water
evaporation due to the dry climate of the rift valley leaving crystals behind. The
crystals contain soda ash (sodium bicarbonate).

PROCESS OF MINING SODA ASH

Soda ash is mined using the dredging method.

Soda ash is extracted from trona which is found at the bed of lake Magadi.

Trona is extracted using a floating mechanical dredger.

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Trona is then transported to the factory on the shores of lake Magadi through
pipelines.

At the factory,the trona is crushed and salt impurities removed.

Soda ash is separated/removed from the rock materials by rotation.

Water and soda ash residues are removed and dumped as waste.

Trona is dried through heating to remove the water content. During the heating
process,trona breaks down to sodium bi-carbonate.

The soda is then grounded into powder,weighed and packed for export.

NB. Soda ash is packed and transported to Mombasa for export. It's majorly
exported to South Africa,Canada,Japan, India and USA where it's refined to produce
sodium bi-carbonate which used in the following ways.

 It's used in the making of washing soaps or detergents.

 It's used to make caustic soda which is used to soften hard water.
 It's used to make paper.
 It's used in the manufacture of glass.
 It's used to make drugs,dyes etc.

NB. 90% of Kenya's soda ash is produced at lake Magadi. Soda ash is greatly used in
chemical industries in Kenya where it's refined into other bi-carbonates.

NB. Salt is found together with soda ash at lake Magadi.

Trial questions.

(a) Explain the importance of soda ash mining to the development of Kenya.

(b) Outline the problems limiting soda ash mining in Kenya.

MINING IN TANZANIA

The minerals in Tanzania include the following

o Diamonds at Mwadui. This is Tanzania's most important mineral and major

mineral export.
o Gold at Geita,Mpanda,Iramba,Sekenke,Musoma,Luba near Mbeya.
o Nickel at Mpanda.

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 o Copper and coal in the Ruhuhu valley.
o Iron ore at Mbeya,Liganga and Chunya.
o Mica at Mpanda and Kilosa.
o Limestone at the coast.

NB. Southern highlands of Tanzania (around Mbeya) have many minerals, fertile soil
and heavy rainfall but under developed due to remoteness i.enot well served with
transport routes.

DIAMOND MINING IN TANZANIA

Diamond is the most important mineral mined in Tanzania and mining takes place
at Mwadui near Shinyanga. The mines are called Williamson diamond mines
because it was discovered by Dr Williamson in 1940. It's located 27km from
Shinyanga and 142km south of lake Victoria.

Diamond is also the most valuable mineral mined on a large scale in East Africa.

Formation of diamond

These diamonds were formed by the intrusion of magma which solidified in a pipe
(central vent). Later the intrusion (solidified magma) was exposed by erosion to
form a plug.

The erosion of the plug has led to scattering of the diamonds and their
concentration around the pipe.

The diamond-bearing rock is called kimberlite

NB. The pipe/vent has a large surface area of 146 hectares.

The process of mining diamond

The mining method is open cast/quarrying/Excavation/Open pit since it's near

the surface.

The over burden is removed using excavators to expose the ore . The excavators
have buckets to scoop up the over burden.

The ore is blasted using explosives /mechanical shovels. It's now broken into small
particles.

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The ore is removed from the mining area and loaded onto trucks to be transported
to the central crushing plant where it's crushed into small rock sizes.

It's mixed with water to be transported by conveyor belt to the treatment plant.

Processing of diamond

At the treatment plant,the ore is passed through water separators where diamond
sinks down and other rocks float and diamond is then removed from the rock
wastes.

The final residue is passed over grease covered bolts where the diamonds stick on
the grease.

The diamonds are removed /sorted manually.

The ores are treated,dried and ready for sale.

USES OF DIAMOND

o Used to make jewellery e.g necklaces,rings.

o Used to make drilling bits.
o Used for cutting machinery.

FACTORS WHICH FAVOUR MINING AT MWADUI

 Presence of large diamond deposits encourages large scale mining

 Existence of diamond deposits at/near the earth's surface makes mining
cheap using open cast method.
 Presence of high quality diamond readily demanded within East Africa and
abroad
 Presence of relatively flat land at Shinyanga eases use of machines during
mining and transportation of limestone
 Adequate capital from local companies and commercial banks to invest in
diamond mining.
 Large market for diamonds within Tanzania and foreign countries like USA,
Germany and China.

Etc

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 IMPORTANCE OF WILLIAMSON DIAMOND MINES

 Provides employment opportunities to people working as miners leading to

better standards of living
 Foreign exchange through exportation of limestone
 Development of towns like Mwadui and it's associated advantages like social
services.
 Development of social and economic infrastructure
 Potential market for agricultural produce.
 Development of skills e.g training grounds for workers.

A SKETCH MAP SHOWING LOCATION OF WILLIAMSON DIAMOND MINES

Page 29 of 48
 CONTRIBUTION OF THE MINING INDUSTRY IN EAST AFRICA

 Employment opportunities e.g to miners

 Diversification of the economy
 Source of foreign exchange
 Provision of a ready market for agricultural products like food stuffs
 Development of infrastructure especially roads
 Development of industries that process minerals e.g Hima and Bamburi
processing limestone into cement
 Development of towns e.g Kasese and Shinyanga
 International cooperation
 Promotes education and research leading to acquisition of knowledge by
geography students.
 It has promoted tourism leading to foreign exchange generation.
 Source of income to the local people through sale of minerals.

DISADVANTAGES/PROBLEMS CAUSED BY MINING ON THE ENVIRONMENT

 Loss of valuable land for agriculture and settlement affecting food production.
 Pollution of air,water and land/ there is dumping of waste products on land
and in water bodies destroying scenic beauty and acquatic life.
 Displacement of people leading to high resettlement costs.
 Destruction of vegetation which is removed to expose the minerals hence
desertification.
 Occurrence of accidents
 Creation of pits on the earth's surface due to open cast mining leading to land
dereliction/degradation
 Stagnant water in open pits encourage breeding of disease causing vectors.
 Destruction of wildlife habitats leading to disappearance of wildlife affecting
tourism.
 Occurrence of landslides due to vibrations caused during mining
 Increase in soil erosion because mining distabilises rocks.
 Leads to urbanization with related problems like unemployment

SOLUTIONS TO THE ABOVE PROBLEMS

 Soil conservation measures to control soil erosion

 Spraying disease causing vectors using pesticides and insecticides
 Resettlement of the displaced people
Page 30 of 48
  Afforestation and re afforestation to control landslides.
 Treating wastes from mines before disposal.
 Transforming mining holes/pits into man made lakes for fishing
 Land refilling to avoid land degradation i.e pits are filled by earth material.

PROBLEMS LIMITING THE DEVELOPMENT OF MINING IN EAST AFRICA

o Inadequate capital limits the buying of mining equipment

o Inadequate skilled labour leading to low and poor quality mineral output
o Insecurity/political instability discourages investors.
o Narrow market size discourages commercial mining
o Price fluctuation of minerals discourages mining investors.
o Stiff mining from other mining countries leading to reduced market.
o Breakdown of processing plants that limits mineral exploitation e.g salt
processing plant at lake Katwe.
o Low levels of technology involving use of simple mining tools reduces output
o Inefficient transport network delays movement of minerals to processing and
market centres
o Corruption and embezzlement of funds leading to loss of capital for
investment in the mines.
o Unfavourable government policy of imposing high taxes on mining companies
o Inadequate research limits discovery of new mineralised areas.
o Low quality minerals discourages commercial mining
o Inadequate supply of water limits mineral processing
o Presence of scattered minerals limits effective mining e.g gold in Moroto and
Busia.
o Existence of minerals under hard basement rocks increases mining costs.
o Steep slopes in some areas with minerals increases extraction costs.
o Some minerals are burried at a great depth which makes mining costly.
o Some mineral deposits exist in very remote areas and inaccessible e.g coal in
southern Tanzania and gold in North Eastern Uganda.
o Some minerals exist in small quantities making them uneconomical to mine
e.g Wolfram in Kigezi and gold in Karamoja.

Trial qn. Outline the steps being taken to solve the above problems.

o Extensive advertising of minerals and mineral products to widen the market.

o Training of more labour to work in the mines

Page 31 of 48
 o Constructing more mineral processing industries and rehabilitating existing
Industries like Tororo fertilizer plant.
o Attracting local and foreign investors to increase capital invested into mining.
o Importing modern mining machinery to increase efficiency
o Constructing more roads and railways to increase access to mining areas.
o Carrying out more geological surveys to discover more mineral
potentials/mineral bearing areas.
o Maintaining security by deploying security forces to provide a condusive
atmosphere for mining activities.

METHODS OF MINING IN EAST AFRICA

The major mining methods include the following

 Open cast method (quarrying/pit)

 Underground mining (Adit and shaft)
 Alluvial/placer mining
 Dredging
 Drilling/Derrick method

OPEN CAST/QUARRYING/OPEN PIT METHOD

It's used where the mineral occurs near the earth's surface. The over lying earth
material or soil is removed (stripped off ) using excavators and dumped nearby. If
the mineral ore is soft ,it's dug out using tools like hoes,shovels or if it's hard ,
explosives are used to break the rocks . The ore is then loaded onto trucks and taken
to the processing plant.

This is the cheapest mining method used in East Africa.

In East Africa,open cast method is used for mining of minerals such as gold in
Karamoja,diamond at Mwadui,phosphates, flourspar,salt, clay, sand etc.

This method destroys vegetation cover,creates deep holes/pits on the earth's

surface.

UNDERGROUND MINING METHOD

This method is used when the mineral deposit lies at a great depth in the earth's
crust. It involves the following methods.

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À) ADIT MINING

This method is used when the mineral is located in the hillside.

Horizontal/side/gently inclined tunnels called adits are dug in the hillside where
the mineral occurs at the side of the mountain.

The roof of the tunnel is supported by steel or concrete beams to prevent it from
collapsing.

The mineral bearing rock is blasted and transported along the tunnel to the surface
by a conveyor belt or a light railway.

This method was used in the mining of copper at Kilembe in Kasese.

2) SHAFT MINING

It's used to mine minerals found at a great depth.

It involves the use of vertical tunnels known as shafts which may be thousands of
metres from the earth's surface.

The tunnels are dug until when the mineral bearing rock is reached,blasted and
minerals lifted to the surface by a pulley system.

The roof of the tunnel is supported by steel or concrete beams to prevent it from
collapsing.

DISADVANTAGES OF UNDERGROUND MINING

 Accidents due to roof collapse

 Flooding of the mines interrupts mining
 Pollution due to poor ventilation
 High costs of mining since it requires modern machines and skilled labour
force.
 Diseases which affect the respiratory system
 Very hot temperatures below the earth's surface

ALLUVIAL/PANNING/PLACER MINING

This method is used when the mineral occurs in alluvial deposits.

Page 33 of 48
It involves excavating the alluvial deposits and mixing it with water in a
container/pan.

The mixture is then rotated until light particles such as sand,mud and small stones
are washed off leaving behind the heavier mineral particles such as gold, platinum
and diamond settled at the bottom of the container.

Alluvial mining is common in the mining of scattered gold around River Athi in
Kenya. It's also used in the mining of gold in Mubende, Busia, Karamoja etc.

DREDGING

This refers to the under water excavation i.e dredging is the removal of material
from the bottom of a water body.

Dredging as a mining method therefore involves excavating minerals usually from

under water e.g in a shallow sea or shallow fresh water areas.

It's used to mine minerals like salt and soda ash at lake Magadi in Kenya, mining
sand and clay around lake Victoria shores.

DRILLING/DERRICK METHOD

It's used to extract minerals in form of liquids such as oil and gases from
underground using a machine called an oil rig.

. This method involves the following processes.

 Exploration, prospecting or surveying of the area with oil.

 Installing oil rigs/Derricks
 Drilling into oil seams/layers
 Installing oil pumps to pump out crude oil.
 Pumping out crude oil into the reservoir
 Transporting crude oil through pipes,fuel tankers/trucks to the oil refinery.

This method is used in mining of oil/petroleum around lake Albert.

Page 34 of 48
A SKETCH MAP SHOWING THE DISTRIBUTION OF MINERALS IN EAST AFRICA

END

Page 35 of 48
 TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATION IN
EAST AFRICA
Transport refers to the movement of people, goods and services from one place to
another.

Communication refers to the sending and receiving of messages.

TYPES OF TRANSPORT

There are three types of transport and they include

 Land transport
 Water transport
 Air transport

LAND TRANSPORT

This includes;

 road transport
 railway transport
 pipeline transport
 animal transport
 human porterage

HUMAN PORTERAGE

It's a common means of transport due to low technological advancement. It's

common in rural areas of East Africa.

ADVANTAGES

o It's cheap
o It's flexible
o Can be used where other transport forms can not be used e.g across
mountains, swamps,forested areas etc.

DISADVANTAGES

i) It's slow for perishables.

Page 36 of 48
 j) It carries very small amount of cargo.
k) It's tiresome over long distances.

ANIMAL TRANSPORT

It's commonly used in semi arid areas of East Africa e.g Turkanaland, Karamoja,
Masailand etc.

It involves use of animals like hoes, donkeys,camels.

They carry a greater luggage compared to human porterage.

They can easily cross swamps and semi deserts than humans

PIPELINE TRANSPORT

It's mainly used in transporting goods that exist in liquid form,gas etc e.g water,
petroleum,and natural gas.

Examples of pipelines include National water and sewage cooperation pipelines in

Uganda.

Petroleum pipeline between Mombasa and Nairobi, Mombasa-Eldoret oil pipeline

ADVANTAGES

 It's the cheapest means of transporting liquids and gases i.ethe distribution
costs are low/reduced.
 Wastage is limited
 Pipelines can cover long distances.
 There is constant supply of the commodity due to the continuous flow of the
liquid or gas.
 Contamination of the commodity transported is rare since the product is
wrapped up in the pipe.
 Pipes can be laid on both road and sea hence shortening the distance
coverered.
 Large volume of gases, liquids can be transported.

DISADVANTAGES

 It's limited to only liquids and gases.

 It's expensive to construct.

Page 37 of 48
  Leakages due to damaged pipelines may affect the quality of the commodity
and pollute the environment
 It has limited flexibility i.e it doesn't reach all areas.

ROAD TRANSPORT

It involves the movement of people and their commodities from one place to
another by road using lorries,buses, motor cycles,wheel barrows etc. There are
different types of roads like tarmac, murram etc.

It's the most common mode of transport used in East Africa.

New roads are being constructed inorder to handle the increasing traffic,reduce
congestion as well as open up areas for development. However,old roads are being
rehabilitated.

ADVANTAGES

 It's cheaper over short distances compared to any other means of transport.
 Roads are cheaper to establish compared to other means of transport.
 Roads can be constructed in remote areas which are inaccessible to other
means of transport/where other transport means can't reach.
 Vehicles that use roads don't necessarily need scheduling time, emergencies
can be handled.
 Road transport is flexible,goods can be sold on the way or can be delivered at
any time.
 Road transport is suitable for delivering perishable goods over short
distances.
 Insurance charges on road transport are lower than other means of transport.
 Roads can be used for advertisement placed on vehicles.
 Loading and unloading is much easier on road transport.
 Roads link up/joins with other forms of transport such as air, water and
railway.
 Specialised vehicles can be designed for specialised goods e.g petroleum, milk,
fish.
 A wide range of goods can be carried over roads from small to large
quantities.

Page 38 of 48
DISADVANTAGES

o It has a low tonnage or carrying capacity compared to railway.

o It's liable to bad weather conditions e.g heavy rains wash away bridges.
o It's affected by traffic congestion especially in busy urban areas that causes
delays.
o It's expensive over long distances.
o It's subjected to highway robberies leading to loss of lives and property.
o Associated with more accidents than any other type of transport.
o Roads are expensive to construct and maintain due to frequent damages
unlike water ways.

RAILWAY TRANSPORT

It involves movement of people and their commodities by use of trains.

It's most developed in Kenya and poorly developed in Uganda.

Railway transport greatly contributed to the early development of the mining sector
in Uganda.

ADVANTAGES

o It's the cheapest means of carrying very bulky goods in large quantities like
industrial machinery,timber,steel.
o It's routes are direct hence limiting time wastage.
o It's time for departure and arrival is specified hence convenient to the
businessmen.
o It's less affected by adverse weather compared to road transport.

DISADVANTAGES

 Railway transport isn't as flexible as road transport as it has fixed stations.

 Laying out the necessary rail infrastructure is very expensive.
 Railway transport is very expensive over short distances.
 Railway transport isn't suitable for perishable commodities or urgently
required goods such as news papers, magazines and drugs because of it's
slow nature.
 Railway transport causes inconveniences because of working on strict
schedules and adhering to time tables.

Page 39 of 48
  There is a great risk of damage during loading and offloading from trains.
 Relief features like steep slopes tend to affect the operations and courses of
the railways.

NB. Railway transport is facing stiff competition from road transport in East Africa.

A SKETCH MAP OF EAST AFRICA SHOWING MAJOR RAILWAY NETWORKS AND

PORTS

TANZAM/TANZARA/UHURU RAILWAY
Page 40 of 48
This is a railway line which runs from Zambia (Kapiri Mposhi) through Makambako
in Tanzania to Dar es Salaam port along Tanzania's Indian ocean coast.

It was constructed using Chinese financial and technical aid for both the Tanzanian
and Zambian governments hence the name TANZARA/TANZAM railway.

It was opened up in 1975 and covers a distance of approximately 1800km long.

AIMS OF CONSTRUCTION

 To provide a safe alternative sea route to landlocked Zambia.

 To export Zambia's copper.
 To open up the remote areas of southern Tanzania like Mbeya to
development.
 To promote regional cooperation.
 To promote international trade.
 To provide employment opportunities.

PROBLEMS FACED BY THE TANZAM RAILWAY

 Shortage of capital for maintenance

 Frequent breakdown of the railway sections especially in the southern areas
of Tanzania caused by heavy rains.
 Congestion at the port of Dar es salaam leads to delays.
 Theft of railway equipment in remote areas of southern Tanzania .
 High cost of maintenance.
 Competition from other alternative modes of transport.
 Floods caused by heavy rains wash away the rails.

SOLUTIONS

 Containerisation to reduce congestion.

 Mechanisation of port activities at Dar es salaam e.g use of cranes to reduce
delays
 Strict laws against theft or vandalisation of railway equipment.
 Use of alternative transport routes to minimise congestion.

Page 41 of 48
 SKETCH MAP SHOWING THE EXTENT OF THE TANZAM RAILWAY

AIR TRANSPORT

This is concerned with the movement of people,goods and services by aircrafts.

Air transport is poorly developed in East Africa and the region has very few
international airports e.g Entebbe in Uganda,Jomo Kenyatta in Nairobi (Kenya),
Kilimanjaro in Arusha (Tanzania),Dar es salaam international airport,Mombasa
international airport.

There are also smaller landing air fields which handle small aircrafts on domestic
flights e.g Wilson south of Nairobi, Kasese,Kidepo, Mbarara, Soroti, Gulu and Arua.

Other air strips include Kisumu, Malindi, Meru and Nanyuki in Kenya, Zanzibar,
Dodoma, Tabora, Mwanza, Kigoma etc in Tanzania

ADVANTAGES

 It's the quickest means of transport compared to other means.

 It's suitable for carrying valuable, fragile and perishable goods over long
distances e.g drugs, gold,silver,diamond,horticultural products like flowers.
 It's the safest way to transport goods and people in terms of protection.
 Planes can fly over obstacles like mountains,forests,lakes and river which
shortens the distance.

Page 42 of 48
  It's ever on time schedule and this ensures no time wastage/saves time.

DISADVANTAGES

o It's very expensive to construct and maintain airports

o In case of an accident, people rarely survive compared to road transport.
o It's risky for easily flammable goods like petrol
o It's time wasting due to traffic congestion/control at air ports.
o It carries fixed amount of cargo.
o It's not flexible i.e it's used in areas with air ports only.
o It's not suitable for transportation of bulky goods such as timber.
o It's easily affected by uncondusive weather conditions like fog, storms etc.

A SKETCH MAP OF EAST AFRICA SHOWING AIRPORTS AND AIRSTRIPS

WATER TRANSPORT

This involves the transportation of goods, services and passengers across water
bodies by use of water vessels like ships,canoes,motor boats etc.

Page 43 of 48
In East Africa,water transport is carried out on both inland water bodies and the
Indian ocean.

Inland water transport is carried out mainly on lakes and rivers.

Goods transported through inland water routes are handled through ports called
inland portswhich are located along rivers and around lakes e.g Port Bell and
Kisumu on Lake Victoria,Kigoma on L.Tanganyika.

Ocean transport in East Africa is carried out on the Indian ocean and goods
transported along the Indian ocean are handled through coastal ports called Sea
ports e.g Mombasa and Malindi in Kenya,Dar es salaam and Tanga in Tanzania.

ADVANTAGES

 Suitable for carrying bulky goods

 Special ships can be constructed to transport specific cargo e.g oil tankers.
 It's cheap over long distances.
 There are less accidents or risks compared to other forms of transport like
roads.
 Suitable for carrying fragile and flammable goods such as glass and fuels
respectively.
 Reduced traffic congestion on water compared to road.
 It uses existing natural routes hence cheaper to maintain.

DISADVANTAGES OF USING WATER TRANSPORT IN EAST AFRICA

 It's not suitable for carrying perishable goods especially agricultural products
since it's slow.
 Double costs of loading and unloading at terminals makes it costly.
 Unfavourable weather conditions like storms and high tides make water
transport very risky.
 Water transport is only restricted to areas with water bodies.
 Water transport is greatly affected by prolonged droughts which may reduce
water levels.
 Port facilities are very expensive especially to Uganda which is landlocked.
 The process of loading and offloading ships takes long leading to delays in
delivery of goods.

Page 44 of 48
A SKETCH MAP OF EAST AFRICA SHOWING MAJOR TRANSPORT AND
COMMUNICATION ROUTES

Page 45 of 48
 FACTORS WHICH HAVE INFLUENCED THE DEVELOPMENT OF TRANSPORT
NETWORKS IN EAST AFRICA

 Need to develop remote areas e.g the Tazara railway line was purposely
constructed to develop the remote southern parts of Tanzania.
 The need to connect fishing sites/villages to market centres has led to
extension of roads to fishing sites to transport fish caught.
 Need to transport agricultural produce from various ports of East Africa e.g a
road was extended to northern Uganda to transport cotton and tobacco to
processing industries in Kampala and Jinja.
 Presence of minerals e.g copper at Kasese led to the extension of the railway
line to Kasese to transport copper to Jinja for smelting.
 Landlockedness. Uganda being a landlocked country,there was need to extend
a railway line and roads to link Uganda to the coast.
 Presence of cities has led to extension of the railway line,roads and airports
connecting major cities like Nairobi, Kampala,Dodoma to facilitate
transportation of goods to these high volume consuming areas.
 Presence of ports such as Mwanza and Mombasa has led to extension of
railway lines and roads to such ports to handle /transport imports and
exports to and from their hinterland areas like Uganda.
 Availability of numerous water bodies e.g the Indian ocean,lakes Victoria,
Tanganyika,Albert and rivers like the Nile has facilitated the development of
water transport.
 Nature of goods exported such as perishables e.g flowers and fish which
require the quickest means of transport hence air transport.
 Bulkiness of imports necessitates the use of water transport means.

Trial question. Describe the factors which have influenced the

development/distribution of road and railway transport in East Africa.

ROLE/CONTRIBUTION OF TRANSPORT NETWORKS TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF

EAST AFRICA

 Employs thousands of people in East Africa working as captains, drivers

leading to improved standards of living.
 Connect East Africa to the outside world e.g international airports like
Nairobi,Embakasi and Kilimanjaro,ports like Mombasa and Dar es salaam are
connections to the outside world.

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  Facilitate trade between East African countries and the rest of the world e.g
perishables like flowers and fish are exported to other countries by air while
bulky goods like cars are imported by water transport.
 Revenue is earned by East African governments through taxing transport
operations which is used to improve other sectors and provide other basic
services to the citizens.
 Foreign exchange is obtained through taxes levied on foreign users of
international road, railway,air and water connections e.g Mombasa port and
Nairobi international airport.
 Railway transport has facilitated cheaper means of transporting bulky
commodities in East Africa e.g minerals hence reducing costs of production.
 Encourage mobility of people mainly through road transport which is the
commonest and cheapest means of transport for over 98% of the people in
the region.
 International cooperation
 Development of tourism
 Acquisition of skills
 Economic diversification
 Development of urban centres

Trial question. Explain the problems associated with the transport sector in East
Africa

PROBLEMS AFFECTING THE TRANSPORT SECTOR IN EAST AFRICA

o Inadequate capital to construct better and more durable roads, railways etc.
o Steep topography in some parts of East Africa hinders construction of
transport infrastructure.
o Political instability which interferes with transport in some areas.
o Unfavourable weather conditions such as fog and mist greatly interfere with
air transport, heavy rains cause floods which wash away bridges.
o Low level of technology to improve the transport sector especially water
transport.
o Limited economic activities i.e industrial development is still at low levels.
o Shoddy construction of transport infrastructure especially roads has led to
losses due to reconstruction.
o Some rivers are shallow and have rapids which hinder water transport.
o Highway robbers and sea piracy especially near Somali waters.

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o High incidences of accidents especially on roads due to reckless usage of
roads.
o Unfavourable government policy in relation to allocation of the available
resources.
o Corruption amongst transport officers
o Shortage of land to construct and expand road and railway routes.
o Congestion which causes delays.

END

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