Although there is a common visitor entrance fee
for both sides of the Reserve, in recent years different
systems
have been employed for the ticketing and revenue
collection. On the Trans Mara side of the
Reserve,
ticketing and revenue collection is the
responsibility of the Mara Conservancy, which has in turn
contracted
Earthview Management, an independent, professional
and independently audited revenue collection
agency,
to undertake this role. This system has generally
worked very well, and has greatly reduced ticket
irregularities
and revenue leakage. On the CCN side of the
Reserve, ticketing and revenue collection is undertaken
by
county council staff at the entrance gates, and by
Somak Holidays on behalf of the CCN at other
locations,
such as sales in Nairobi. The contracts for both
Earthview Management and Somak Holidays are due to
expire
within the next few years, and this presents an
ideal opportunity for both the MMNR management
agencies to work together in developing a
standardised ticketing and entrance fee collection system for
the
entire Reserve, building on the experiences and
lessons learnt in implementing the existing
mechanisms.
Under this management action, MMNR management will
therefore collaborate in defining the key
features
and requirements of an appropriate ticketing and
revenue collection system and, subsequently, in
developing
a common tender document for the provision of
these services in order to ensure a high degree of
complementarity
between the systems operating on each side of the
Reserve. In this regard, while the appointment
of a single revenue collection company would have
distinct advantages in simplifying and streamlining
this
aspect of Reserve management, this may not
eventually be feasible or desirable. In line with
international
trends, the tender document should make provisions
for future electronic ticketing in the MMNR, as a
way
of enhancing efficiency and reducing leakage. As
an alternative to a private sector contractor, the
Kenya
Wildlife Service could also be considered as a
potential service provider for ticketing and revenue
collection,
with the MMNR incorporated into their new smart
card ticketing system, and all revenue collected
subsequently
remitted to the two councils, minus an agreed
service fee.
