A fresh dispute has emerged over Amboseli National Park after Kajiado County accused the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) of interfering with the park’s transition process.
According to Kajiado Governor Joseph Ole Lenku, KWS has blocked county officers from accessing the park’s entry points, preventing the implementation of an agreed revenue-sharing arrangement that was to take effect on July 1.
Governor Ole Lenku said KWS continues to interfere with the transfer process despite all agreed procedures being completed in November 2025, adding that the county government would not allow the implementation of President William Ruto’s directive to be frustrated.
“We wish to ask KWS to keep off our Amboseli. While all transfer functions were completed in November 2025, the revenue-sharing arrangement was to take effect on July 1,” he said.
The governor said the county has been unable to roll out the revenue-sharing plan because KWS had allegedly prevented county officers from accessing the park’s entry points.
“We will collect our revenue and not radicalise a peaceful community,” he said.
Ole Lenku warned that KWS has a week to stop interfering with county officials, saying the agency should not undermine the presidential directive that handed over management of the park to the county.
“We are telling KWS you cannot make the President’s pronouncement be in vain,” he said.
He emphasised that the local community had remained patient for months but was now becoming increasingly frustrated, adding that residents wanted the transition completed without further delays.
Ole Lenku maintained that the community would reclaim the park peacefully if the process continued to stall.
Responding to the allegations, KWS, through its communications officer, asked the county government to allow an ongoing court case concerning the matter to proceed.
The governor also accused KWS of neglecting important infrastructure within the park, claiming that several roads used by tourists had been left in poor condition.
He pointed to the road connecting the airstrip to the lodges, saying it had deteriorated together with other routes inside the park.
“The watercourse that connected the airstrip to Ol Tukai, which is the main artery in the park, is completely gone. In fact, we fear its total collapse in the next few weeks. All other tourist roads have been allowed to deteriorate,” he said.
Ole Lenku claimed the poor state of the infrastructure could be an attempt to create the impression that the county government would struggle to manage the park after taking over.
He further alleged that 12 elephants had died in the Amboseli ecosystem under circumstances he described as questionable.
The governor insisted that there were no remaining legal barriers preventing the transfer from taking full effect.
“We will continue, as the Maa nation, to be peaceful people, but we will protect our rights. We want to ask the government to know KWS is sabotaging this process,” he said.
According to Ole Lenku, the transition report provides for 40 per cent of the park’s revenue to go to the county government, another 40 per cent to local communities, while the remaining 20 per cent will go to the conservation area authority.
He said Kajiado expects Amboseli National Park to generate about Sh700 million annually once the county takes over its management.
The national government officially transferred the management of Amboseli National Park to the Kajiado County government on November 8, 2025.
During the handover ceremony, President Ruto described the move as a major milestone in resolving the long-running dispute over the ownership and management of the park.
The President said placing the park under county management would strengthen conservation by giving the surrounding community a greater role in protecting wildlife.
“This is not a weakening of conservation; it is a renewal because conservation led by the people lasts longer, works better and heals deeper,” he said.
Ruto said the disagreement over Amboseli had lasted for 51 years and had left local communities excluded from conservation efforts and the benefits generated by the park.
“I am proud of this moment because I am sure the Maa community are the greatest conservationists. I do not doubt in my mind that Amboseli will be better than it used to be,” he said.
The handover was conducted during the 3rd Maa Cultural and Tourism Festival held at Amboseli National Park, where the President was installed as a Maa elder.
He also signed the Deed of Transfer that formally moved the management of the park from KWS to the Kajiado County government.
Even after the transfer, Ruto directed KWS and the Wildlife Research and Training Institute to continue providing security, ecological monitoring and technical support at the park.
The Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife was also tasked with offering policy guidance to the county government.
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