KWS Suspends Flights to Amboseli as Flooding Disrupts Kenya's Parks
The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has temporarily suspended aircraft operations at the main Amboseli National Park airstrip following flooding caused by heavy rainfall in the area. Airlines and charter operators have been directed to divert to Tawi Airstrip, located approximately five kilometres from Kimana Gate, allowing visitors to continue accessing the park for game drives while conditions at the main airstrip are assessed. KWS has stated that the situation is being closely monitored and that an update on reopening will be issued once the airstrip is deemed safe.
The closure adds to a broader pattern of weather-related disruptions affecting Kenya's tourism infrastructure. On 28 February, KWS warned that roads within several national parks and protected areas were flooded, impassable, or temporarily cut off. A tourist Land Cruiser was swept into the flooded Mara River in Narok West around 25 to 26 February, with passengers still unaccounted for as of 27 February. Karura Forest in Nairobi also implemented partial closures from 6 March, restricting access to trails near caves, waterfalls, and the Ruaka Picnic Site. The Kenya Meteorological Department issued a Heavy Rainfall Advisory running until 9 March, with the Kenya Red Cross reporting 42 fatalities nationwide as a result of the ongoing rains.
Source: Kenyans News
