John Mwangi
Kajiado.
In a landmark moment that drew jubilation across the Maa community, President William Ruto on Friday officially handed over the management of Amboseli National Park to the Kajiado County Government, fulfilling a long-standing call for local control over one of Kenya’s most iconic wildlife destinations.
The historic handover, held during the third edition of the Maa Cultural and Tourism Festival at Kimana Gate, marked a turning point in Kenya’s conservation and devolution agenda. The event attracted thousands, blending traditional dances, art exhibitions, and cultural rites that continue through November 9.
Flanked by Kajiado Governor Joseph Ole Lenku, Cabinet members, and community elders, President Ruto presented key instruments of transfer, including the deed of transfer, ecosystem management plan, boundary map, and transition committee report, symbolizing the devolution of Amboseli’s management to the host community.
“I trust and believe the Kajiado County Government can manage the Amboseli National Reserve, and I direct the process to begin immediately,” President Ruto declared.
“This handover is part of our broader effort to ensure communities directly benefit from the natural resources around them,” he said.
A visibly moved Governor Joseph Ole Lenku hailed the handover as a transformative gesture that restores dignity and ownership to the Maa people.
“We as Kajiado residents thank you for facilitating the handover through your Cabinet, and we will support you in your political journey,” Governor Lenku said, as the crowd broke into celebratory chants and traditional songs.
“For years, we have petitioned the national government for this. Today, history has been made,” he added.
Amboseli, world-famous for its vast elephant herds and sweeping views of Mount Kilimanjaro, generates an estimated Sh1.5 billion annually from tourism, making it Kenya’s second-most visited park after Maasai Mara.
First gazetted in 1906 as the Southern Maasai Game Reserve and declared a national park in 1974, Amboseli has long symbolized the tension between national conservation priorities and local community interests. The Maasai have often decried limited economic benefits despite enduring human-wildlife conflicts, including loss of life and grazing land.
The transfer follows a 2024 presidential directive and was ratified by Cabinet before being published in Kenya Gazette Notices Nos. 15230 and 15231 on October 24, 2025. A 15-year binding deed of transfer, signed by Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano, Governor Lenku, Attorney-General Dorcas Oduor, and CPA Kithinji Kiragu, establishes a phased transition in which Kajiado County will progressively assume revenue control and management responsibility.
The national government will continue to pay park staff salaries until June 2026, after which the county will take over full operations through a semi-autonomous conservation and tourism agency.
The agreement also commits the county to designate at least one million acres of surrounding community land as wildlife corridors and conservation areas, with annual progress reports to be tabled before both the National Assembly and the Kajiado County Assembly.
For the Maasai, the handover signifies not only economic empowerment but also cultural restoration, aligning with Kenya’s 2010 Constitution that emphasizes devolution and community participation.
“This decision shows that conservation and community benefit can go hand in hand. Amboseli will now thrive under the stewardship of its rightful guardians,” Lenku said.