His Excellency Joseph Ole Lenku hosted the National Advisory Committee on the transfer of Amboseli National Park to the County Government of Kajiado, led by Engineer Francis Maliti. The purpose of the courtesy call was to review the progress made by the County Government of Kajiado.
The Advisory Committee, headed by Chair Eng. Francis Maliti, was officially gazetted by the Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife Dr Alfred Mutua on 23rd Feb 2024, affirming the president’s commitment to ensuring the seamless transfer of Amboseli National Park to Kajiado County.
In response to the presidential directive issued on 23rd August 2023, Governor Lenku officially established an 8-member Technical Committee through gazettement. This committee is composed of representatives from the County Government of Kajiado and wildlife conservation experts. The primary objective of this committee is through rigorous consultation develop a comprehensive framework that will facilitate and guide processes towards the transfer of Amboseli National Park to the County Government of Kajiado.
The Technical Committee has taken on the task of developing a strategic plan as part of its mandate. This plan will serve as a roadmap for the transfer process of Amboseli National Park and will outline future management strategies for the park. Additionally, the committee is reviewing the current Amboseli National Park Management Plan 2020 – 2030 (AMP) and align it with the broader Amboseli Ecosystem Management Plan (AEMP), ensuring cohesive and comprehensive management of the entire ecosystem including integrating community livelihoods.
Both the Governor and Eng. Maliti praised the remarkable progress by the dedicated Kajiado Technical Committee on Amboseli, under the leadership of Deputy Governor, Martin Moshisho.
The transition of Amboseli National Park to the Kajiado County Government represents a significant milestone in addressing what the community has long perceived as a historical injustice. Governor Lenku when addressing the media after the courtesy call meeting said “we are not just ready, but fully committed and enthusiastic about assuming the responsibility of managing Amboseli. We firmly believe that this transition will bring about substantial positive gains and benefiting both our community and the better management of wildlife within the park”.
Lenku expresses optimism in embracing the recent presidential directive to expand wildlife conservation areas, emphasizing that it’s not just a great choice but a commitment his administration wholeheartedly embraces.
To achieve the status of a 3rd generation national park, Lenku highlights the importance of integrating community involvement as active decision-makers, rather than passive participants, embrace the value of traditional knowledge in enriching scientific decision-making processes and increase the park size from the current 80,000 acres to an estimated 1 million acres. This will open up more dispersal areas and migratory paths for wildlife. This is a change for better for Amboseli Park, which many consider a master stroke by the president to revert back Amboseli to the people of Kajiado.
Governor Lenku extended gratitude to the communities around Amboseli for their unwavering support, acknowledging their commitment to safeguarding crucial migratory routes and wildlife dispersal areas. He highlights their contribution of an additional close to 1 million acres of their land, which will further enhance conservation efforts in the region.
Amboseli stands as a beacon of conservation success, being the only park in the region that has steadfastly maintained its full migratory routes, that is the route towards the Tsavo in the east and Kilimanjaro on…
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