The Porter Voices of Tanzania
The porter voices of Tanzania make it possible for tourists to successfully climb the highest peak of Africa – Kilimanjaro. They come from diverse ethnic groups in the region. Many of them become porters due to lack of other job opportunities in the region aside from agriculture. The Kilimanjaro trekking industry is immense with numerous competing tour agencies, many of which offer cheaper priced treks that usually leads to underpayment of porters. Despite the existence of a couple of organizations on the ground that claim to improve the lives of porters, many porters face underpayment, lack of proper meals and shelters, noncompliance with set load weight, lack of medical and life insurance, lack of proper shoes and gear among a few other concerns that have become industry standard.
Kilimanjaro Porter Voice: Luma, Age 24
Many porters in Kilimanjaro express the same conditions:
1. There is a lack of economic opportunities besides portering.
2. They become porters out of necessity.
3 They do not eat on the trail or only eat once.
4. No gear provided by companies.
5. They sleep in crowded tents with minimal bedding.
6. Porters are reluctant to share company names they work with for fear of retaliation.
There’s big money in the trekking tourism industry and yet porter conditions remain substandard.
Kilimanjaro Porter Voice: Issa Age 25
Local people become porters out of necessity. Being a porter is not a choice.
Porters have noted not having anything to eat while climbing during the day.
There is overcrowding in the tents.
Porters are paid as low as $4 per day when the standard rate is $8 and up.
You can demand changes as a tourist with your dollars. Tell companies you want fair and equitable treatment of porters. Demand proof of it.
Male Porter Subject #1
This interviewee wishes to be anonymous due to the potential retaliation from companies that he works with.
I am a 33 year old male porter from Arusha. I have been working as a porter for 8 years. I have 3 children. I support my parents and kids.
I work as a porter on all routes to Kilimanjaro. I work mostly with big companies. I became a porter because of the lack of better opportunities. I never went to school. The only other option to make a living is to work in agriculture.
The sleeping conditions on the trails are terrible at times. We sleep in tents but there is too many of us in a small tent. We do not have blankets or a bed or a mattress. At times, I bring a mattress on the Marangu route. The companies do not provide these sleeping items.
I eat bread and peanuts on the trail and very minimal food. At times, I eat nothing. Depending on the company that I climb with, they feed us about 2 or 3 times. The companies do not cover all the food. I have to pay for snacks and other mountain items.
I earn a total of $7 a day with all my expenses deducted. This is much lesser than the minimum daily pay.
The company does not provide hiking shoes or clothing for us. We have to buy our own which is too expensive. The companies do not reimburse us for the gear that we buy.
I carry 20 kg mostly but at times it’s more. We don’t get paid for the extra weight that we carry. There’s no set schedule for us on the trail. We basically work all day. We wake up at 6 am to do chores like fetch water, wash dishes, collect trash and carry the load to the next camp. We go to bed around 9 pm.
