Kenya Community Based Tourism Network (KECOBAT) was launched in August 2003 as a membership umbrella organization representing the interest of Community Based Tourism (CBT) organization in Kenya. It aims to facilitate information sharing; delivering appropriate technical support and advisory services; mediating and lobbying their interests to government and other relevant institutions and thereby integrating community concerns into national tourism. KECOBAT Network can be regarded as a "trade association” representing the poorest sections of tourism. Most of the members are based in communal land areas where majority of them are poor and depend on subsistence livelihoods. By being the central point of contact, KECOBAT Network links between these, often-inaccessible communities with the government, the private sector, NGO's, donors, and training institutions thereby making it easier and less time consuming to work with. KECOBAT Network aims to create a forum that afford communities grappling with tourism challenges work with one voice and purpose through empowering communities to mobilize their own capacities, learn from each other, effectively manage their resources and thereby make informed decisions to control activities that affect their lives and their environment. This will make them actors rather than passive subjects in the tourism industry.
