The Senate has moved to establish why the transfer of Amboseli National Park to Kajiado County has failed to take place despite a presidential proclamation taking effect on July 1, summoning Tourism Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and county officials to explain the delay.
The Senate Public Accounts Committee made the decision after Kajiado Governor Joseph ole Lenku said KWS had not surrendered the management of the park as directed by President William Ruto.
Lenku told senators that the continued delay has denied the county an opportunity to collect close to Sh3 billion every year, money he said would improve public services and strengthen the county's finances.
“We are left wondering what instruments the President handed over to Kajiado county if KWS can simply ignore a presidential directive,” he told the committee.
Committee chairperson Moses Kajwang' said the Senate could not ignore a situation where a presidential proclamation had not been put into effect months after it was announced.
“We will summon the Tourism Cabinet Secretary, the KWS director general (Erustus Kanga) and Kajiado county to explain to the country why a Presidential proclamation has not been implemented,” Kajwang' said.
The matter came up as Lenku appeared before the committee to answer audit questions touching on Kajiado County's financial statements.
Senators also sought answers over Sh4 billion in pending bills, with some of the debts dating back to 2018, and questioned how the county intended to clear them while its own-source revenue continued to decline.
In response, Lenku said the county has struggled to meet its revenue targets, making it difficult to settle the outstanding bills. He maintained that taking over Amboseli National Park would improve the county's financial position by providing a reliable source of income.
The governor said the park covers about 33,000 hectares and has the capacity to generate nearly Sh3 billion every year.
He also said the Maasai community had set aside an additional one million acres for wildlife conservation but was yet to enjoy the economic returns they had expected.
“The local community bears the burden of conserving wildlife, yet they are not benefiting as expected.”
“They are beginning to question why they donated their land,” Governor Lenku said.
He said Amboseli has the same potential to transform Kajiado's finances just as the Masai Mara National Reserve has done for Narok County.
“If Narok is earning about Sh4 billion annually from Masai Mara, then Amboseli can equally generate substantial revenue for Kajiado and help us meet our financial obligations,” he said.
Kajwang' agreed that the park could provide the county with a dependable source of income if the transfer is completed.
“If the park was handed over as directed, the county would have a reliable source of income that could go a long way in clearing pending bills,” he said.
President William Ruto announced on November 8 last year that the management of Amboseli National Park would shift from KWS to Kajiado County through a three-year transition. Although the proclamation took effect on July 1, the transfer has yet to be completed, prompting the Senate to seek answers from all the parties involved.