Africa-Press – Kenya. The Cabinet on Thursday, November 14, approved the ownership transfer of Amboseli National Park to the County Government of Kajiado after months of intense lobbying by key stakeholders.
The approval came following a Cabinet meeting held at State House in Nairobi attended by Deputy President Kithure Kindiki as his first Cabinet meeting since assuming being sworn in.
“The Cabinet also discussed and approved the transfer of Amboseli National Park to the County Government of Kajiado” read part of the dispatch from the Cabinet.
In August this year, Ruto ordered the then Tourism Cabinet Secretary Peninah Malonza to hand over control of the Amboseli National Park to the County Government of Kajiado.
“I want to say that UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) has identified that the Maa Community has a culture that promotes human-wildlife existence and are the best conservationists. Even President Mwai Kibaki identified your conservancy skills and also it is the Maasai community that gave out land for the parks,” the President remarked while describing the decision as long overdue.
“While President Mwai Kibaki by executive said that this should be managed by the County Government of Kajiado I confirm that this will be the case. That process is now going to be worked out between Tourism and the County Government of Kajiado.”
The park that was initially under the national government through the Kenya Wildlife Services will now be transferred to Kajiado County Government.
The county will be expected to develop among other policies the best strategies to manage and improve the revenue generated from the park.
The approval also came after months of intense lobbying from the local community and Kajiado County Governor Joseph Ole Lenku who had requested for the park to be handed over to the county.
According to the Governor, 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.
Cases of human-wildlife conflict have been a thorny issue for key conservationists, especially within the Maasai community whose quest for pasture within Kenya’s parks has resulted in increased conflict.
“We have created a plan to transit Amboseli to a third-generation park where wildlife and communities co-exist in a harmonious way to integrate conservation into communities’ livelihoods,” Lenku, told the media in July this year.
“We will bring to the centre the true players in the Amboseli ecosystem; the community, NGOs who fund and support conservation efforts, and national agencies,” he added.
Kajiado will now join Narok as the other county managing such an important historical site within the Maa ecosystem, that is home to Kenya’s rich wildlife.
Kajiado will also 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.
Additionally, the devolved unit will be looking to increase its revenue streams from the tourism injections.
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