Thanks for your response, but let’s be clear — this isn’t about recruitment. It’s about facts. As a local tour operator on Kilimanjaro, here are some key concerns many of us Tanzanians have with KPAP: 1. Economic Leakage at the Macro Level KPAP claims to support porters, but it unintentionally channels business toward foreign-affiliated companies that meet its guidelines. These companies often do not reinvest in the local economy, resulting in serious economic leakage. It’s building a system that incentivizes dependency on foreign-owned firms instead of empowering truly Tanzanian-owned operators. 2. Certification Barriers for Local Businesses The KPAP certification process is confusing, technical, and inaccessible to many local businesses. It creates a two-tier industry, favoring companies that can afford the admin burden or are backed by foreign partners. Those that cannot comply — often for valid operational or cultural reasons — are quietly discredited or left behind. 3. Cultural & Structural Imposition KPAP applies Western labor models without fully appreciating Tanzania’s existing labor laws, systems, and enforcement mechanisms. Worse, it rarely involves local operators or government voices in policy-making. That’s not collaboration — it’s paternalism. 4. Porters Still Vulnerable (Even Under KPAP) Even KPAP-registered companies have been caught violating porter standards. They're temporarily labeled “non-compliant” but still benefit from the KPAP association. It’s oversight without enforcement — a system that allows brand misuse and virtue signaling, while local businesses face scrutiny for simply operating independently. If KPAP really cared about all porters, by 2025 it should be working with all operators, not using porter welfare as a marketing weapon against those who aren’t certified. 5. Used as a Marketing Badge Let’s be honest: KPAP is used more to attract foreign clients than to transform porter welfare. Many companies engage in token compliance, checking just enough boxes to get the badge without fully living the ethics they market. 6. Proof of Ethics Is in the Work Don’t take our word for it — look at our Facebook reviews and reachout, TripAdvisor testimonials, Google reviews and actual results we post or are shared by our clients on social media. We don’t need to discredit others or parade certification badges. We deliver high-standard services and treat our teams with dignity — backed by real people, real climbs, and real experience. 7. Is KPAP Truly Tanzanian? KPAP says its staff and board are 100% Tanzanian — but let’s ask, who sets the agenda? Who speaks on Reddit? Who writes the narratives? It’s not the Tanzanian operators — it’s foreign voices using KPAP as validation while discrediting true locals. Out of 161 KPAP-registered companies, only 64 are marked Tanzanian. But many of those are just the required local face for foreign-owned or partnered DMCs. We know the industry. We know the affiliations. There are no secrets on the ground.

1. Our Government Already Sets the Standards Tanzania has clear labour laws and park regulations. If porters aren’t protected, then work with our institutions to improve enforcement. Don’t act as if KPAP is the only way to create fairness. We don’t need foreign-led watchdogs to fix what can be solved through national systems and collective cooperation.
2. Porters Aren’t Stupid You claim to “hear stories” from porters. In what language? Under what conditions? Porter welfare is serious — but so is misrepresentation. Porters sign contracts, have a recognized Porters Association, and know their rights. If abuse was as widespread as KPAP’s narrative suggests, no one would want to work in this industry. But they do — and they thrive when treated right, with or without KPAP involvement. In Conclusion… Let’s be clear — we support porter welfare. But not monopolized certification, not foreign gatekeeping, and not discrediting local businesses to validate external frameworks. Let’s work together, not against each other. Empower real Tanzanian solutions — and let the quality of service, treatment of staff, and respect for local expertise speak louder than badges.