Devolution of Conservation – New Dawn for Amboseli and a Call for Tsavo

By Andrew Mwangura

Email, thecoastnewspaper@gmail.com

The official handover of Amboseli National Park to the Kajiado County Government marks a historic and transformative moment in Kenya’s conservation and governance journey.

For the first time in 52 years, one of the country’s most iconic wildlife sanctuaries will be managed directly by a county government.

This move represents not only a milestone in devolution but also an opportunity to rethink how Kenya balances conservation, community welfare, and sustainable tourism.

Amboseli, world-renowned for its majestic elephants and the breathtaking view of Mount Kilimanjaro, has long been a symbol of Kenya’s natural heritage.

Yet, beneath its scenic splendor, tensions have simmered between local communities and the national government over revenue sharing and resource control.

The Maasai communities living around the park have often borne the costs of human-wildlife conflict without proportionate benefits from tourism.

With devolution, Kajiado County now has both the responsibility and the opportunity to correct this imbalance — to ensure that conservation translates into tangible gains for local people.

Under the new arrangement, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) will retain ownership and regulatory oversight, while the county takes charge of day-to-day management, tourism promotion, and revenue administration.

This hybrid model offers a practical framework that preserves national oversight while empowering local governance. If well implemented, it could become a benchmark for how other counties and conservation agencies collaborate in managing natural resources.

However, the true test lies not in the transfer itself but in how Kajiado County will manage this treasure. Effective conservation requires expertise, adequate funding, and a delicate balance between ecological integrity and community interests.

The county must invest in building capacity, ensure transparency in revenue use, and develop inclusive management plans that involve local communities, private investors, and conservation partners. Success will depend on striking a harmony between protecting wildlife and promoting livelihoods.

The devolution of Amboseli also reopens an important national conversation: should other counties hosting major parks benefit directly from managing them? The most compelling case is that of Taita Taveta County, home to Tsavo East and Tsavo West — together one of Africa’s largest wildlife ecosystems.

For decades, these parks have generated immense tourism revenue for the national exchequer, yet the local communities living on their peripheries remain among the least economically empowered. The imbalance is glaring.

The national government should now consider recategorizing the Tsavo parks to allow Taita Taveta County to share in their management and benefit from the income they generate.

This is not merely a call for revenue sharing; it is a call for fairness, accountability, and sustainability. When local communities see direct economic returns from conservation, they become its fiercest defenders.

Conversely, when they feel excluded from the benefits, poaching, encroachment, and land conflicts rise. True conservation cannot thrive in a vacuum — it must be rooted in the socio-economic well-being of the people who coexist with wildlife.

Kenya’s Vision 2030 and its devolved governance framework both emphasize inclusive development and equitable resource distribution. The Amboseli handover perfectly aligns with this spirit.

Extending a similar arrangement to Tsavo East and Tsavo West would reinforce devolution and empower Taita Taveta County to invest in conservation-compatible infrastructure, education, and community programs. It would also ease the burden on the Kenya Wildlife Service, allowing it to focus on policy, regulation, and national-level coordination rather than day-to-day park operations.

Critics may worry that counties lack the technical capacity or governance integrity to manage such critical national assets. While this concern is valid, it should not be used as an excuse to stall devolution. Instead, it calls for strong partnership frameworks between the national and county governments, supported by civil society and private sector actors.

Transparent auditing, joint monitoring, and performance-based management systems can ensure accountability without undermining local autonomy.

Amboseli’s handover is not just a transfer of authority — it is a test of Kenya’s faith in its counties and its people. It symbolizes the maturing of devolution and the recognition that conservation must serve both nature and humanity.

As the elephants roam freely across the plains of Amboseli, they now also roam within a new governance landscape — one that should, ideally, blend local ownership with national stewardship.

Let Amboseli be the beginning of a new conservation order — one that brings parks closer to the people, ensures that wildlife becomes a shared blessing rather than a burden, and gives counties like Taita Taveta their rightful place in Kenya’s natural wealth. In doing so, Kenya will not only protect its heritage but also strengthen the very foundation of its democracy: equitable and inclusive governance.

The writer is a policy analyst specializing in maritime governance and blue economy development.