Summit Murder Mystery Series

Moshi District Commissioner has appealed to the public to participate in the conservation of natural resources in their respective areas to protect Mt Kilimanjaro’s buffer zone. Dr Ibrahim Msengi said environmental conservation particularly on the slopes of Mt Kilimanjaro is crucial and called on everyone to join government efforts on environmental protection. He was speaking with the Village, Ward and Division Executive Officers here in Moshi over the weekend. “Despite government’s efforts in collaboration with other environmental stakeholders to provide much education to the ‘wananchi’ on the importance of environmental conservation, the problem of destroying environment persists,” Dr Msengi explained. According to the DC, the problem is also fueled by bad elements in the village, ward and division executive officers who failed in the implementation of their responsibilities. He said some of them actually participate fully in ruining the environment by cutti...

Moshi tour guides, porters speak out Tourists and their guides during one of the trips to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro   Kilimanjaro climbing is a tough task. For one to trek this snow peaked highest mountain in Africa he has to be physically fit and forbearing. But it is soothing when one manages to climb the mountain up to it’s highest point-the Uhuru Peak (5,895 meters above the sea level),” says Boka wa Boka (not his real name) a tour guide working with one of the Moshi-based Tourism and mountain hiking tour companies. Speaking at different times with the writer of this article on condition of anonymity, for fear of reprisal by tour operators some of Mt. Kilimanjaro tour guides and porters said that, in spite of the difficulty of their work, most tourguides and porters are underpaid. This is regardless of the routes they use to reach the peak, explaining “all mount Kilimanjaro routes are hard, but other routes are most hardier that ot...