As the main bases for climbing Mt Kenya, Narumoru market and Nanyuki town were awash with gangs of idle youths, all claiming to be tourist guides or porters. They worked side by side with touts at the local bus termini.
Despite posing a threat to the fragile tourism industry, it was almost impossible to rein in these rogue tourist guides to Mt Kenya National park. But this lawlessness has given birth to a thriving business for two chefs-cum-tourist guides, who started promote rock-climbing and mountain-trekking five years ago.
This kind of tourism has not been well established in Kenya. And Charles Wanja and John Wachira, the co-directors of Summit Venture Expeditions, were sure it would provide a diversion from game-watching.
Apart from its many physical features, the two felt the historical and forest aspects of the mountain would interest tourists too. Unfortunately, the informal guides did have any information on these.
The biggest challenge has been reining in hundreds of these guides and porters to curve a niche. To inject a semblance of professionalism, the duo introduced a code of ethics for the 2,000-plus guides and porters eking out a living from the Mt Kenya tourism circuit.
"Some guides would mishandle and even steal from the clients because they would be drunk most of the time. They had become guides or porters by virtue of having been born near the mountain," says Mr Wanja.
Summit Venture has been on the front line in advocating a standard qualification for tour guides. It is also pushing for recognition of various tour guides by the Government in a way that would enhance specialisation and instil professionalism.
"When we went to the ministry (of Tourism) seeking to be licensed as rock-climbing and mountain-trekking guides, which is our specialisation, all that the Government officers could do was to issue us with the general citizen tour guide licence," says Mr Wachira.
At least 500 mountain guides and porters have now been trained and put under Summit Venture and Expeditions over the past four years. This has even helped them to harmonise service charges.
It counts among its successes lobbying tour companies not to overload the porters. The load carried by individual porters has to range between 16kg and 18kg.
It has also liaised with the Kenya Wildlife Service to have certified guides pay less to enter the park, a move that has also enhanced security.
The Mt Kenya tourist circuit has gained tremendously from the tourism boom being experienced in the country since 2003. The number of visitors to the park increased from 23,000 in 2001 to 45,000 last year. It benefited at the height of travel warnings and advisories by British and United States governments on their citizens, as many tourists opted for upcountry settings instead of the sandy beaches at the Coast, where terrorism fears were high.
To get a slice of the Sh49 billion tourism cake, the guides and porters have been encouraged to uplift their welfare by forming self-help groups. "This will ensure that everybody benefits from both low and high seasons," said Mr Wanja.
Graduates of the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), Mr Wanja and Mr Wachira are also keen to popularise technical rock-climbing and mountain-trekking as the main exciting features in the Mt Kenya tourist circuit. The efforts of the Narumoru-based firm have paid dividends. It has attracted the eyes of key tourism industry players who have shown interest in their skills.
They include Base Camp Safaris, Jumbo Safaris, the UK-based World Challenge Expeditions and Narumoru River Lodge.
Like when they moved in to tame the guides and porters, Mr Wanja and Mr Wachira have embarked on another difficult task of marketing mountain-trekking and rock-climbing to the locals who have shown indifference to the activities.
"This field provides alternatives from the game watching tourism to studying local plants, vegetation zones and sport fishing," says Mr Wachira.
A major concern for the young firm is the increasing pollution on the mountain. The downside of the increased number visitors is the increasing waste material left behind.
The firm has been organising annual clean-ups of the mountain and sensitisation workshops for the guides and porters.
Muchiri Gitonga
Nairobi
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