Amboseli National Park is now officially under the management of Kajiado County government.
The move follows the Cabinet’s approval of the park transfer from the National to the County Government.
According to a dispatch from the cabinet meeting held on November 14, the move will help the local administration and community reap more from their conservation efforts.
The county will be expected to develop policies and strategies to manage and improve revenue generated from the park.
Kajiado County Governor Joseph Ole Lenku welcomed the move, adding that the transfer of the park to the devolved unit would enable the local communities living within the region to foster peaceful coexistence with the wildlife.
The Governor said it has been a long journey, replete with legal hurdles, but with abundant goodwill not only from the people of the Maa Nation and also from the people of Kenya, as witnessed in the overwhelming support during the public participation forums conducted across the country.
Lenku thanked President William Ruto noting that he had kept his word on correcting injustices meted out to local communities.
“Today’s Cabinet approval of the transfer of Amboseli National Park to the County government of Kajiado, is yet another manifestation of your commitment to keep your word that Amboseli must return to its rightful owners – the Maa people,” said Lenku.
In August 2023, Ruto announced plans by the government to remit 50 per cent of the revenue generated from national parks to counties in which the conservancies are situated.
Speaking in Narok County during the Maa Cultural Festival, the President said that the national and devolved governments would share the returns equally, since host counties played an integral role in ensuring the success of the conservancies.
“Once we have done that, the county administrations should make good use of this money so that it can uplift the living standards of the people who play a great role in conserving the environment and wildlife,” he said.
A public participation exercise over the takeover was conducted between June 24, 2024 and July 10, 2024.
The sessions were conducted at the Maasai Technical Training Institute in Kimana Social Hall in Kajiado, the Regional Commissioner’s Hall in Kisumu (Nyanza region), and the Nyeri Town CDF Hall (Central region).
On June 25, additional sessions were held at the Kisii Social Hall in the Nyanza region and the Meru Social Hall in the Upper Eastern region.
Consequently, in November 2024, the Ministry of Tourism launched a technical team of experts to spearhead the transition process of Amboseli National Park.
The team was tasked with establishing a legal framework to facilitate the transition of the park’s management from the national government to the Kajiado county government.
Kajiado will now join Narok and Samburu Counties in managing the parks within its jurisdiction and will be able to set park entrance fees for both local and foreign tourists who will be visiting the park, in part of the new changes.
By Rop Janet
