The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has refuted claims circulating online that the new Ritz-Carlton Safari Camp is blocking the famous wildebeest migration routes in the Maasai Mara, dismissing the allegations as misleading and based on old, recycled images.
In a statement on Thursday, KWS said it had “noted with concern” a series of posts suggesting that the camp was obstructing key movement paths along the Sand River.
The agency insisted that decades of scientific data do not support those claims.
“The wildebeest migration is a globally celebrated natural spectacle,” KWS said, pointing to its recent recognition by the World Book of Records (UK) and the World Tourism Market in London as the world’s greatest annual wildlife migration and Africa’s leading tourism destination. “This recognition affirms the uniqueness of Kenya’s natural heritage and our continued leadership in sustainable tourism and conservation.”
KWS clarified that the Ritz-Carlton Safari Camp sits within a low-use tourism zone established under the Maasai Mara National Reserve Management Plan (2023–2032). The zoning framework, the agency explained, was developed through joint national and county government scientific assessments and ecological studies.
According to KWS, long-term tracking data from more than 60 collared wildebeest, recorded between 1999 and 2022, shows no indication that the camp—nor any other facility along the Sand River—has affected the animals’ movements.
“The data clearly show that the Maasai Mara National Reserve serves as a general dispersal area for wildebeest,” the agency noted. The collared animals have been observed using the entire 68-kilometre stretch of the Kenya–Tanzania border within the reserve, without relying on a single preferred corridor.
KWS added that lodges and camps have existed along major Mara rivers for decades—including the Mara, Talek, and Sand rivers—without disrupting wildlife movement.
“Along the Sand River alone, there are five permanent safari camps and over two seasonal camps, and none has faced the kind of negative publicity currently being directed at the Ritz-Carlton Safari Camp,” the agency said.
It further pointed out that many of the images and videos fueling public concern are from 2018 and 2020 and are being reposted out of context, possibly by competing commercial interests in the tourism sector.
KWS stressed that the camp went through all required ecological and regulatory assessments before receiving approval. “Every tourism investment within parks, reserves, and sanctuaries undergoes stringent environmental evaluation,” the agency reiterated.
As it sought to calm public anxiety, KWS urged Kenyans to rely on factual information. “We remain committed to safeguarding the wildebeest migration for future generations,” the statement read. “We call on Kenyans to stay patriotic and share accurate information about our country’s treasured wildlife.”
