| Name of the facility | Sirikoi Lodge |
|---|---|
| Certification Achieved | Gold |
| Year opened | 1995 |
| Tourism region | Laikipia/Samburu |
| County | Meru |
| Address | Meru Map It |
| Telephone/Mobile | +254 727 232 445 |
| [email protected] | |
| Website | sirikoi.com |
| Facility Notes | Sirikoi Lodge is located at Lewa wildlife conservancy.The camp is strategically located on Global Positioning System (GPS) Coordinates, Latitude: 0.206413(00°12′23.087″N) || Longitude 37.433069 (37°25′59.046″E).Bordering the wildlife conservancy is the Ngare Ndare Forest which occupies 5,300 hectares of indigenous forest. Ngare Ndare Forest is a safe haven for large mammals including elephants, and a paradise for monkeys, birds and butterflies. The Conservancy was formed in 1995 having started in 1980s as a 5,000 acre rhino sanctuary owned by the Craig family. It has four tents, one cottage and one luxury guest house with a total of fifty four employees. Currently, it covers an area of 32,000 acres and is home to a wide variety of wildlife including the rare and endangered black rhino, Grevy’s zebra and sitatunga (marsh buck). In addition, it also hosts lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo. Lewa holds over 12% of Kenya’s black rhino population and a comparatively large population of Grevy’s zebras (approximately 350 individuals). |
| Energy management | Sirikoi has invested in solar energy for heating and electricity within the lodge. The facility has installed about 73 solar panels. The facility has a total of three solar water heaters which are supplemented by 9 kuni boilers. The facility also makes its own charcoal from off cuts and dead wood collected within the conservancy. The charcoal is made using drum kilns. Charcoal is used within the facility for baking, barbeques and heating the dining area in the evenings. . Liquefied Petroleum gas (LPG) is used for guests cooking. The staff is sensitized on energy conservation through departmental briefings whereas guests are briefed on energy conservation on arrival and through information folders in the guest tents. The guest tents are fixed with main switches and the night guards are sensitized to switch off unnecessary lights. Also, Energy saving bulbs is installed throughout the lodge enhancing energy conservation. |
| Environmental management | Sirikoi Lodge is guided by its general policy and guidelines which lays prominence on universal principles of social, economic and environmental sustainability. Further it is guided by its mission to provide safe, comfortable and hospitable services to clients. This is envisioned by need to develop, own and manage a community based business that provides mutual respect and benefits to the local people. The camp has an environmental management system illustrated through clearly spelt out operational guidelines on general management , environmental management, purchasing, resources use including water, energy and waste, community involvement, guests integration and staff development. |
| Chemical use | The lodge uses biodegradable bathroom amenities from Leleshwa Soaps for guests. Magic-Oxy which is bio-degradable is used in cleaning laundry. The facility also uses chlorine and algaecides in the pool. Liquefied Petroleum gas is stored in a secured cage to prevent possible interference. Fuel for the generators and vehicles is stored in 100 liters containers in properly secured in bunded structure. Material safety data sheets are available for all chemicals used within the facility. Swimming pool chemicals consumption records are properly kept to monitor chemical use. |
| Conservation Criteria | |
| Community Criteria | |
| Solid waste management | Waste separation at the facility is conducted at source. The bins are clearly labelled and the staff sensitized on waste separation and management at source. As a waste reduction measure, the facility re-uses tetra pack materials to grow indigenous seedlings. Excess is donated to Ngare Ndare Forest for growing tree seedlings. Plastics, glass and other waste is stored in a waste management area where it is well sorted awaiting disposal, through the Lewa conservancy office. Sirikoi reduces plastic waste generated by providing guests with reusable glass bottles for drinking water. Organic waste is used for rabbits that are kept within the lodge. Some of the waste is composted using bio-composting method (using worms). The compost is then used within the vegetable garden. Used oil is stored in a properly contained bunded section to prevent accidental spillage to the environment and later disposed via Lewa Conservancy. |
| Water management | The main source of water at the lodge for the guest and employees is Lewa Spring located about 12 km from the facility. A water meter has been installed at source and an extraction permit issued by Water Resources and Management Authority (WRMA). A float switch has been fixed to prevent water loss through spillage .The water is stored in two reservoir tanks with a capacity of 20,000 litres each. Guests are sensitized on arrival on water conservation. In addition, guests are encouraged to re-use their towels through “towel-talks” as a means to save water. Staff are also sensitized during regular briefings. |
| Visitor communication & education | Visitors are briefed upon arrival on the lodge’s operations and environmental values. The guest cottages and tents are equipped with room information folders to brief the visitors on environmental conservation and operations of Sirikoi Lodge as well as the activities and biodiversity within Lewa wildlife conservancy. Visitors are also visit Lewa Education Centre to learn about the ongoing projects and wildlife research. They can also participate in visits to community projects such as boreholes and the women micro-credit initiative, schools and clinics. |
| Pollution | Low light emitting paraffin Lanterns are used to light the pathways at night which greatly reduces light pollution while the generator has an acoustic sound proof body to reduce on the noise pollution. |
| Environmental conservation | Sirikoi Lodge is established on the fundamentals of low environmental impacts. The lodge encourages and conducts low impact activities such as walking safaris / nature walks, horse riding to its visitors. Sirikoi also engages in replanting of indigenous tree species and protection of wetland areas. Since the inception of the lodge, 370 Acres of diverse Acacia woodland have been recovered & maintained and a further 41 Acres of crucial wetlands have been restored & preserved. The lodge supports wildlife conservation through the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. The facility pays 105 US Dollars per guest a night, as conservancy fee to Lewa Wildlife Conservation. It has well provided crucial habitats for endangered species and increased space for expanding populations by adding 7,000 acres of land to Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. |
| Waste water management | Effluent from the guest kitchen flows through a grease trap to filter out oils and grease before draining into a soak pit. The grease traps are cleaned on a daily basis. Grey waste water from the laundry, guest rooms and staff quarters is managed through a Bio box system. This system operates in two phases. The first phase involves anaerobic digestion of solids in septic tanks. In the second phase, the effluent flows through a system of bio-filters layered with natural fibres where Bacteria in the fibre digest the organic matter. The resultant effluent then flows into soak pits. The swimming pool is cleaned via sieving, backwash and vacuum cleaning. Records are kept on a daily basis. The facility has also conducted effluent tests analysis and issued with an effluent discharge license. |
| Purchasing and supplies | Vegetables and fruits are packed in reusable crates while meat and dairy products are stored in freezers. Where possible dry goods are bought in bulk to reduce on the packaging. The facility also uses recyclable bags (kikapu) when shopping to reduce packaging in polythene bags. Most of the vegetables and fruits are picked from the lodge’s garden. |
| Employment and remuneration/staff welfare | Staff benefits include food, health insurance, uniform, entertainment, transport and accommodation. Approximately 80% of the staff is from the local community and casual labor is also sourced locally. There is a staff committee in place which represents their issues to the management. A Savings and Credit Co-operative Society has also been set up for the staff. |
| Staff education, communication and awareness training | The lodge has an in-house staff training program where employees are trained on fire safety, health and safety, sustainability awareness, hygiene and housekeeping lessons, professional skills such as computer skills and permaculture courses etc. |
| Cultural preservation and promotion/protection of local sites | Sirikoi offers visits to Ilngwesi Village where the visitors are sensitized on the local culture, engages in cultural dances, talks and sports activities such as arrows and spears throwing. Each visitor is charged 35 US dollars. The proceeds are directed to the locals. The facility partners with Tropic Air Kenya to take its visitors on excursions to Kaisut & Chalbi deserts at Kargi to experience the Rendile culture, and to Suguta area in Samburu to experience the Pokot culture. The lodge has detailed ‘room information folders’ with materials concerning the local region, people and culture. |
| Benefits to local community/community empowerment | The lodge purchases locally where possible, these include, fuel, meat (goat meat for staff meals). Sirikoi sources curios from Northern Rangeland Trust (NRT) Micro Enterprise program. Additional curios are bought from local vendors around Lewa, Isiolo and Nairobi. Sirikoi is a partner with “Pack with a purpose” which is an organization encouraging guests to identify specific needs in places they visit for donations. Donations are collected from clients and made through Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. Approximately 20Kgs of school supplies were donated in 2016 to Lewa Education. Most Significant, Sirikoi participates in community development and environmental conservation initiatives through Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. The conservancy engages in initiatives such as Community Healthcare; Community Water Management; Women’s Micro Credit Program; Community Forestry and Adult Literacy Classes. Makes guests donations through Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. Donations include; School supplies and sponsorships. The lodge contributes approximately US$10,000 per year in school bursary payments to their staff and local community. |
| Cultural Criteria | |
| Health and safety | Safety and precautionary signage are properly and strategically installed within the facility. Firefighting equipment such as fire extinguishers, automatic fire suppression, and fire blankets are strategically located and dully serviced. The facility has conducted a fire safety audit to comply with Factories and other places of work (Fire Risk Reduction) Rules 2007. The facility has a valid certificate of registration of workplace from DOSH. The staff members have been dully trained on first Aid skills and occupational health and safety. Training was last conducted in April 2016 by Eco health Company Ltd. There is a trained fire safety team and fire Marshalls picked from the staff at the lodge. The facility has a health and safety committee that meets on a regular basis to handle staff welfare especially with regards to health and safety. |
| Child labor, abuse and human rights | The facility adheres to the legal employment age. |
| Business Practises Criteria | |
| Entry Date | 10th November 2017 |
