KWS Stories

KWS proposes first park fee hike in 18 years to bridge Sh12 billion conservation funding gap
Lucy Mumbi  |  Jul 10, 2025

The proposed fee changes are detailed in the draft Wildlife Conservation and Management (Access and Conservation Fees) Regulations, 2025, which is cur...

Kilifi families receive Sh60 million compensation for human–wildlife conflict deaths
Farhiya Hussein  |  Jul 03, 2025

The disbursement, which took place in Marafa, targeted cases involving human fatalities caused by wild animals, mainly elephants and buffaloes, across...

KWS unveils KWSPay platform to cut park entry time to three minutes
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Jun 28, 2025

The system is a shift in how payments, ticketing, and park access are handled. Visitors can now pay using mobile phones with fewer steps and without r...

Wajir celebrates International Giraffe Day as locals laud conservation efforts
Issa Hussein  |  Jun 22, 2025

The residents, however, said they were facing threats from armed poachers from the neighbouring Somalia and refugee camps

Activists propose arrest powers for IPOA amid rising cases of police brutality
Lucy Mumbi  |  Jun 19, 2025

The activists want IPOA empowered to arrest rogue officers and oversee other security agencies such as the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), Kenya Forest Se...

Why wildlife attack victims face longer wait for government compensation
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  May 27, 2025

The department received Sh13.169 billion, falling short of its requested Sh16.981 billion

KWS adds express lanes for prepaid tickets at Nairobi Park after public outcry over long queues
Lucy Mumbi  |  May 18, 2025

KWS said that through the lanes, over 60 per cent of visitors to Nairobi National Park that morning had prepaid for their tickets, describing it as an...

KWS apologises over long queues at Nairobi Park after viral video exposes chaotic entry system
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  May 17, 2025

KWS also reminded the public of alternative entry points to ease congestion, pointing to the East Gate off Mombasa Road and Mbagathi Gate on Magadi Ro...

Kenya’s rhino boom signals major win for wildlife conservation as population grows by 31pc
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  May 17, 2025

Save the Rhino International, in a statement issued on January 16, 2025, pointed to translocation efforts as one of the contributing factors to the gr...

KWS proposes 10pc tourism revenue share for communities as wildlife earnings hit Sh460bn
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  May 16, 2025

Under this model, local communities would directly benefit, using the funds for initiatives such as bursaries, water infrastructure, and wildlife corr...

Government disburses Sh3.8 billion to victims of human-wildlife conflict since 2023
Lucy Mumbi  |  May 13, 2025

The agency announced shortly after disbursing Sh64,126,000 in Kajiado County during a public engagement forum on human-wildlife conflict mitigation an...

KWS officers to face legal action over killing of Issack Abdulla Jarso, CS Murkomen says
Mary Wambui  |  Apr 22, 2025

The CS was responding to a question by Garsen MP Ali Wario, who sought answers on the status of the case, the motive of the killing and what the gover...

Tourism booms as Nairobi parks become most visited, attracting 886,000 visitors in 2024
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Apr 22, 2025

The Nairobi Mini Orphanage ranked first nationally, outshining other major destinations and reflecting a shift in tourist interest towards conservatio...

Lion mauls Grade 7 girl near Nairobi National Park as elephant kills herder in Nyeri
Lucy Mumbi  |  Apr 20, 2025

The harrowing attack was witnessed by another teenager who immediately raised the alarm, prompting swift action from KWS rangers and emergency respons...

Four arrested for attempted smuggling of 5,000 queen ants in Kenya
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Apr 15, 2025

Queen ants are highly sought after for their unique behaviour and pest control capabilities in greenhouses, fetching between Sh6,000 and Sh15,000 each...

Family of four missing in Tsavo East National Park found safe after overnight search
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Apr 08, 2025

The couple and their two children were located on Tuesday morning near Kabaguji Rangers Camp, north of the Yatta Plateau, nearly 50 kilometres from th...

13-foot python captured in Kajiado after swallowing an antelope
Lucy Mumbi  |  Apr 06, 2025

The python was first spotted at around 7am and both community members and KWS teams kept track of it as it moved slowly through thick thorny bushes. T...

Government to hold Nakuru KWS officers accountable for missing fisherman Brian Odhiambo
Lucy Mumbi  |  Mar 19, 2025

Murkomen said investigations had uncovered a criminal syndicate protected by KWS officers and suggested that Odhiambo’s disappearance might be linked...

Families demand Senate probe into killings, disappearances linked to KWS rangers
Lucy Mumbi  |  Mar 12, 2025

They called for protection measures for victims’ families, witnesses, and human rights defenders who have reportedly faced threats for speaking out.

Caught between culture and conservation: Why Boni people are unhappy with KWS
Farhiya Hussein  |  Mar 03, 2025

Batika Delo of Milimani says banning the Bonis from hunting inside Boni Forest was the biggest injustice that the government has done.

IPOA calls for legal framework to extend its oversight to KWS, KFS, Prisons Service
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Feb 07, 2025

Issack emphasised that IPOA is prepared to handle complaints involving officers from KWS, KFS, prisons and even county government enforcement units.

Uhuru Park, Nairobi Animal Orphanage Kenya's top-reviewed places on Google Maps
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Feb 06, 2025

Google Maps, with over 100 million daily updates, has grown from a simple navigation tool to a comprehensive resource for discovering new places.

KWS calls for calm as protests over missing fisherman turn ugly in Nakuru
Lucy Mumbi  |  Jan 24, 2025

Demonstrators set parts of Lake Nakuru National Park ablaze, demanding the immediate release of the missing fisherman.

KWS launches tech-driven monitoring project to safeguard marine life at the Coast
Alfred Onyango  |  Jan 09, 2025

This cutting-edge approach is designed to provide vital data for conservation efforts, ensuring better management of the marine reserve and improved s...

Herder killed in Tsavo East during confrontation with KWS officers
Lucy Mumbi  |  Dec 30, 2024

The Kenya Wildlife Service expressed its condolences to the family of the deceased herder and regretted the incident, which occurred despite the histo...

Relief for human-wildlife conflict victims as government starts compensation
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Dec 05, 2024

The compensation initiative is a result of extensive verification work done by the Ministry, ensuring that only legitimate claimants benefit from the...

Poacher killed at El Adow in Wajir south, giraffe meat and motorcycle recovered
Issa Hussein  |  Oct 28, 2024

Elders and youth from the community intercepted 14 donkey-pulled carts carrying 200 sacks of charcoal, destined for the camps.

Alarm as wildlife populations decline by 73 per cent due to climate change
Alfred Onyango  |  Oct 11, 2024

In the period under review, freshwater populations suffered the heaviest declines, falling by 85 per cent.

Residents of Lamu village unite to build house for homeless man
Farhiya Hussein  |  Oct 02, 2024

For the past decade, Kinyanjui has been living in a makeshift structure in a bushy area within Lakeside village.

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