Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Wanjiku Miano has called on development partners to support Sh. 300 million one-year wildlife census exercise set to end on June 2025
Miano said the data and information obtained will inform the formulation of more effective wildlife conservation strategies across Kenya’s landscapes and help boost the tourism sector.
She said the census sought to determine the wildlife population, distribution, changing trends and to identify the challenges that had resulted in habitat losses and wildlife mortalities during the 2022 drought.
The CS was speaking Wednesday at Wildlife Research and Training Institute in Naivasha during the 22nd graduation ceremony where 282 students were awarded certificates and diplomas in various wildlife and tourism-related courses.
The census happens at a time when country’s wildlife faced numerous challenges including increasing human and livestock populations, a rise of infectious zoonotic diseases and climate change issues resulting in drought and flooding.
She said the exercise was vital for protecting Kenya’s wildlife heritage and ecological sustainability adding that it would resolve issues of Wildlife farming and economy to reverse bush meat menace.
Key stakeholders like Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), National Census Planning Committee, Kenya Wildlife Conservancies Association, and Conservation Alliance of Kenya are taking part in this exercise.
The CS additionally announced that the curriculum of the WRTI was under review in a bid to align it to the standards of Competence Based Education while urging WRTI Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Director Dr. Patrick Omondi to accelerate the completion of the process and acquire the necessary approvals to pave the way for implementation.
She further said the Tourism Fund had set aside a Tourism Training Evolving Fund, managed by the Higher Education Loans Board, that was meant accord more opportunities to WRTI students.
“The envisaged increase in enrolment presupposes the need for expanded infrastructure and human capital. I therefore encourage the leadership of this institute to be innovative in mobilizing resources and to hasten the ongoing review of human resource instruments to avoid distress,” Ms. Miano stated.
Ms. Miano also directed the WRTI administration to partner with Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) to further explore issues of training in wildlife sector in order to make the curriculum review inclusive citing National Wildlife Training Agenda which identified skills gaps that informed the institute’s guide training and capacity development in the wildlife sector for the next 10 years.
She further advised the WRTI Board and Management (BOM) to work together with other Government agencies in the wildlife research permitting process to ensure that the system is as facilitative as possible.
“In particular, KWS and WRTI should work closely in wildlife research and the Ministry on its part will fast track the review of the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act so that regulations on the conduct of wildlife research in the country are streamlined,” she said.
Dr. Omondi on his part said the Institute is fully compliant with the statutory and regulatory requirements set by the Government in the fulfilment of its research and training mandate adding that the Institution was registered as a Technical and Vocational Education and Training giving credibility to their Diploma and Certificate programs.
“Recently we received registration from the National Commission for Science Technology and Innovation (NACOSTI) as a National Research Institution. This is because over the past one year, the Institute has taken several measures to enhance the training mandate such as improving the general infrastructure, launch of the scholarship and work-study program to address financial challenges among the students and promoting an all-rounded academic experience by strengthening the Students Council, clubs, societies, and providing psychosocial support to students,” he said.
By Mabel Keya – Shikuku
