It is often said that in order to shape the future one must reflect upon the past.Looking back upon ESOK’s development, one of the main things that stands out for me is quite simply that ESOK has been built upon the foundations of strong core values and a high degree of voluntary effort and commitment.
In a way I feel that I have grown up with ESOK, sharing in its successes and its growing pains.I remember first hearing about ESOK at a small workshop held in the Sarit Centre, a side event to the main tourism fair.Chris Gakahu and Steve Shelley were the originators who had developed the concept and steered ESOK through its set up and its nascent years.Don’t forget that at that time it seemed as if all new non governmental organisations were viewed as being potentially subversive and therefore it was no small task even just to get ESOK officially registered as a society.
Thinking about it, I suppose you could see ESOK as being somewhat “subversive”.There are two core values which have consistently driven ESOK’s activities over the years, first the task of trying to “green” the tourism industry as a whole; and second to champion the concept of ecotourism in Kenya.Both values do most definitely challenge the status quo.They require that the industry and its stakeholders think about a wide range issues that previously they felt were not in their business domain and that they take responsibility for these.This change is never an easy process and always meets with resistance.
I mentioned that ESOK had growing pains.These are probably the same pains that many advocacy and rights based organisations go through:internal and external conflicts; tight finances; misunderstandings of mandate or just misunderstandings in general.They are pains that can threaten an organisation’s very existence and they can be expected at any point during its lifetime.However, it was the strength of ESOK’s core values that ultimately pulled the organisation through these teething problems.These values inspired involvement, passion and commitment in a group of individuals who were able to regroup, attract resources and ultimately nurture ESOK back into health.The same values continue to inspire people to volunteer their time to ESOK.In hindsight, the growing pains are the kinds of things that keep organisations on their toes and that continually challenge people to either re-think and strengthen their values or to stand up and defend them.
One of the questions that I am sure ESOK will be asking itself during this period of introspection is how to increase the impact of its activities.Despite ten years of ESOK’s existence; a country with a heightened sense of environmental awareness; the introduction of environmental regulation; and the publication of several national poverty reduction strategies, the challenges faced by ESOK in delivering upon its core values have escalated rather than diminished.
More and more it is apparent that achieving better environmental management in the tourism industry or encouraging ecotourism as a viable poverty reduction strategy requires a system wide approach.I remember arguing at the recent National Ecotourism Conference held by ESOK, that the impacts of good environmental management by businesses within the tourism sector are threatened because there is no level of “fair play” in the entire system, and hence good individual efforts are in fact wasted.To this extent, I believe ESOK needs to be even more “subversive” in its efforts, or to put it another way, much louder in challenging the status quo.The values that drive ESOK are so sound: who would not agree that there needs to be better management of environmental impacts within the tourism industry; or that ecotourism can represent a pathway out of poverty for many people?But without stronger advocacy for system wide efforts where all stakeholders ranging from government, parastatal and county council through to businesses and local communities are forced, through the sheer weight of strong values and public opinion, to start fulfilling the roles they are meant to be playing, how will great impact ever be achieved?
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There are a number of individuals who particularly stand out in my memories of ESOK, both in terms of their outstanding voluntary contributions to ESOK and also for sharing perspectives which have helped me to develop both professionally and personally.First are the two initiators, Chris Gakahu and Steve Shelley, now no longer involved but who had the initial foresight and drive to establish ESOK.Dr. Helen Gichohi, a founder member and mentor to ESOK, was able in conjunction with Chris to tap into their professional networks in order to secure resources to ensure ESOK’s ability to grow.Helen also introduced Jake Grieves-Cook to ESOK, who took over the Chairmanship at a time when there were virtually no members and hardly any activities.Jake is credited with boosting membership, steering through a number of important initiatives such as the ESOK Ecorating Scheme, and firmly establishing ESOK as a voice to be listened to within the tourism industry in fora such as the KTF.In addition, Jake’s experience and high degree of integrity in both the main stream tourism industry as well as in ecotourism ventures with local communities brought a new dimension to ESOK’s operations.He helped to shape thinking on the developmental role of ecotourism and how to manage many of the difficult day to day challenges in meeting this role.Mark Hardy, a fellow volunteer, gave an incredible amount of energy and time to ESOK.I will always remember regular brainstorming development sessions with Mark and Judy Kepher-Gona which served to continually generate thought and ideas, many of which can be seen reflected in some form or other in ESOK’s current activities.Both Judy and Mark are now my friends as well as colleagues.Alan Dixson has been at the forefront, for as long as I have known him, in championing ecotourism in Kenya.His company is one of the few that has actively promoted partnerships between local community entrepreneurs and the established tourism sector, and I know it remains his long cherished vision that these types of partnerships are escalated to the extent that local community ecotourism enterprises become successful businesses in their own right and hence also contribute to local social welfare, and environmental protection.Ernest Mungai, Wycliffe Mutsune and O.T. Ngwiri were also part of ESOK for almost as long as I can remember, finally “retiring” from committee duties at about the same time as I did in order to allow for new energy and ideas.Finally, the late Sandy Vohra, who was among the first business leaders in the mainstream tourism industry to recognise that the industry needed to manage its environmental and social impacts and in providing environmental stewardship to this effect.It was an easy task persuading Sandy, my employer at the time, that the Sarova Group should become an ESOK Founder Member.Although I left the Sarova Group not too long afterwards, it was always rewarding to track their involvement in a number of related initiatives, including the ESOK ecorating scheme, the Nairobi Central Business District Association and the GEF-KAM energy management awards.
March 5th, 2006
Anjali Saini, ESOK Founder Member and Founding Board Member
