The State Department for Wildlife and the Amboseli National Park Advisory Committee yesterday held a forum aimed at validating the Committee’s report on transferring the ownership of Amboseli National Park from the National Government to Kajiado County Government.
The forum was intended to present the committee’s findings, calling upon the members of the public to authorize the park’s transfer for its wildlife sustenance and present a final draft to the Cabinet for approval, failure to which Amboseli faces extinction threats through subdivision and privatization of the land.
The Chair of the Amboseli National Park Advisory Committee Eng. Francis Maliti noted that if the ownership of the Park failed to be transferred to the County Government of Kajiado, it would die a natural death.
Maliti commended the relationship between the community adjacent to the park and the wild animals which according to him has aided in providing a conducive environment for the animals to thrive as 85 percent of them dwelt in those lands especially when the park floods.
He observed that Amboseli National Park played an important role in Kenya’s economy by boosting sectors such as tourism, transport, agriculture and hospitality.
“Transferring the park’s ownership to the county government of Kajiado will encourage the development of the region and eventually benefit the community by creating more job opportunities and raising the living standards of the locals and the country at large,” stated the Chair.
The committee pledged to ensure that the Kajiado community reaped the benefits of the park upon the shift of ownership as the park, which covers an area 392 square km, and brings in about Sh1.5 billion into the country yearly.
According to Maliti, the community plays a huge role in marinating and conserving the wildlife through their co-existence and for this reason, the hosting communities have to benefit from this transfer.
At the same time, the Chairperson of the African Conservation Centre David Western expressed his concerns on the fate of Amboseli National Park.
“I have been counting the number of elephants since 1967 and the number has doubled ever since,” revealed Western, applauding the efforts of the Kajiado community for this positive direction.
He emphasized the need to continue fostering this relationship for the conservation of the wildlife, which depends on humanity for its survival and for future generations.
Meanwhile, members of the public present during the forum raised concerns on the transfer of Amboseli’s ownership to the Kajiado County including the pending compensation caused by human-wildlife conflicts to the residents, directing a percentage of the transport maintenance levy in the county to the park, prioritizing employment opportunities in the park to Kajiado residents and directing part of the benefits to funding the education sector in Kajiado especially for the girl-child.
By Imbiakha Phanice
