By Obegi Malack
Kajiado County is set to benefit from new economic opportunities following the Cabinet’s approval of the transfer of Amboseli National Park to the county government.
The historic move, implemented under Article 187 of the Constitution, will see Kajiado take over the day-to-day management of the park while the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) retains conservation oversight. The transfer was granted during a Cabinet meeting at State House Nairobi on July 29, 2025, fulfilling a presidential directive issued in response to a long-standing petition by the Maasai community, whose ancestral lands surround the iconic park.
Amboseli, formerly Maasai Amboseli Game Reserve, is one of Kenya’s premier wildlife destinations and a UNESCO-recognized site famous for large herds of elephants. Covering 39,206 hectares (392.06 km²) at the core of an 8,000 km² ecosystem stretching across the Kenya-Tanzania border, the park is home to more than 500 mammal species, including lions, cheetahs, giraffes, buffaloes, zebras, wildebeests, and hyenas, and over 400 bird species.
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Governor Joseph Ole Lenku welcomed the transfer, describing it as a chance for the Maasai community and the wider county to directly benefit from Amboseli’s rich tourism potential. “This is not just about heritage but about economic empowerment. Amboseli is a global attraction, and under county management, its benefits will now reach our people more fairly,” he said.
Deputy Governor Martin Moshisho noted that county control of Amboseli will open doors for job creation, business opportunities, and revenue growth through sustainable tourism. “We want Amboseli to become a driver of development, uplifting local communities while maintaining its global reputation as a premier wildlife destination,” he said.
The park has historically generated nearly half a billion shillings annually for the national government, but residents of Kajiado have long complained that they were not benefiting from its revenues. The transfer now means the national and county governments will share revenues equally, with Kajiado retaining about Sh240 million. This will push the county’s own-source revenue past the Sh1 billion mark, up from Sh875 million in the 2022/2023 financial year.
President William Ruto, who announced the handover during the Maa Cultural Festival in Narok, said the move was a gift to the Maasai community and a way to ensure fairness in resource distribution. Governor Lenku, who shed tears during the announcement, called it one of the greatest honors ever granted to the Maasai people.
For years, tensions have simmered between locals and KWS over human-wildlife conflicts, which have led to deaths of both people and animals. In 2022, an elephant killed a teacher in Masimba, sparking protests in which four people were shot dead by GSU officers. In another tragic incident in Rombo ward, a two-year-old child was trampled to death by elephants, prompting a resident to retaliate by killing three of the animals. In 2023, morans speared six lions after they invaded homes in Mbirikani near Oloitokitok. Schools in the region have also faced interruptions as wildlife strayed into compounds.
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KWS has often been accused of delaying compensation for victims of human-wildlife conflict, fueling resentment among locals. Residents now believe that county involvement in the park’s management will make compensation and conflict resolution timelier. “Cases of human-wildlife conflicts will be reduced since the community will now benefit from the park and they will take care of it,” said Christine Sanaipei, a resident of Kajiado.
To ensure smooth management, the county assembly’s Majority Leader, Loisa John Lemayian, assured residents that Kajiado has the capacity to effectively run the park and distribute ecological and economic benefits fairly. Naisiae Karia, Chairperson of the Gender, Culture, Tourism, and Wildlife Committee, emphasized that legislation will be enacted to safeguard resources and guarantee transparency.
The county government has already announced plans to leverage Amboseli for cultural and tourism activities. The 3rd Maa Cultural and Tourism Festival is scheduled for November 5–8, 2025, at Kimana Gate in Amboseli. The annual festival, which brings together communities from Kajiado, Narok, and Samburu, will showcase authentic Maa culture, past, present, and future, cementing its place as a cultural and tourism highlight in Kenya and Africa at large.
The Maasai community recently donated one million acres of land for conservation, underscoring their commitment to coexistence with wildlife, though Amboseli’s current 80,000 acres remain insufficient for roaming animals. With greater community involvement and revenue-sharing, hopes are high that the park’s management will balance conservation with economic empowerment.
For the people of Kajiado, the transfer of Amboseli represents more than a legal handover, it is a historic step toward cultural recognition, economic justice, and peaceful coexistence between humans and wildlife.
