Amboseli Park Control Returns to Kajiado County After 51-Year Dispute

By Thuku Kariuki - Stretching northward from the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain, Amboseli National Park has long been a haven for iconic wildlife. Across nearly 400 square kilometres, the park hosts the famed Big Five, elephants, lions, rhinos, leopards, and buffalos, drawing tens of thousands of tourists every year.

Around the park live members of the Maa community, the dominant ethnic group in the region. For decades, they have operated under rules set by the national government and the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), which managed the park from Nairobi. That has now changed.

Earlier this month, President William Ruto presided over a historic ceremony handing control of Amboseli to the Kajiado County government. The county, together with the Maa community, will now oversee conservation, development, and administration of the park.

Celebrating the transition, Ruto praised the arrangement, saying, “I am proud of this moment because I am sure the Maa community are the greatest conservationists. I have no doubt in my mind that Amboseli will be better than what it used to be.”

He assured the public that wildlife and forests would remain protected, emphasizing, “This is not a weakening of conservation; it is a renewal because conservation led by the people lasts longer, works better, and heals deeper.”

The Maa, a semi-nomadic pastoralist community, traditionally move with their herds in search of pasture. While territorial ownership has not always been central to their lifestyle, conflicts have emerged in other countries, such as between pastoralist Fulani and farmers in Nigeria, where grazing patterns clash with land rights. However, Ruto stressed that the new structure was not driven by conflict.

Elephat at the Amboseli National Park. Photo Thuku

Instead, he described the move as a correction of a historical injustice. The 51-year dispute over the management of Amboseli, he explained, had undermined conservation and kept local communities from benefiting fully from the park’s resources.

While the county takes over day-to-day operations, including tourism management, revenue collection, and community benefit-sharing, national agencies will still be involved. “The Kenya Wildlife Service and the Wildlife Research and Training Institute will continue to provide security, ecological monitoring, and technical oversight, as they do in all protected areas,” Ruto said.

A new semi-autonomous agency will formally manage the park. According to the president, it will be “a professional institution for the people,” not a political tool. “This agency must be transparent, professional, and operate with integrity for the good of conservation and the community,” he added.

Kajiado Governor Joseph ole Lenku welcomed the move, calling it “the correction of an injustice and a turning point in history.”

Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi echoed this view, noting that the Maa people have always been custodians of wildlife. “The Maa are the true protectors and defenders of the savannah. We salute them,” he said, cautioning that commercial greed, not communities, is the real threat to conservation.

Although Amboseli is renowned for its wildlife tourism, it also supports thousands of households through non-wildlife resources. The new management framework is expected to channel increased benefits to local residents while allowing sustainable development in the surrounding areas.

President Ruto concluded the ceremony by honouring generations of Maasai elders who fought for community rights and set aside over one million acres as wildlife corridors. “Today, we honour them posthumously for their selfless fight to defend the rights of their people and to protect the heritage of this park,” he said.