The State, through the Tourism Ministry, has transferred the management of the iconic Amboseli National Park to the County Government of Kajiado, marking a historic milestone in Kenya’s journey toward devolved natural resource management.
The decision, formally announced in a gazette notice dated October 24, 2025, follows extensive intergovernmental consultations aimed at strengthening local participation in wildlife conservation and tourism development.
The notice spells out the scope of the transfer, including of transfer of management functions, funding, labour workforce, duration of the agreement, and the execution of the transferred functions.
The transfer agreement shall remain in force for an initial renewable period of 15 years from the date of execution, where renewal shall be done upon consultations between the National Government and the County Government of Kajiado.
Under the new arrangement, Kajiado County will assume full responsibility for the day-to-day management of Amboseli National Park, including conservation programs, infrastructure maintenance, and revenue collection.
The county will, however, continue to collaborate with the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and other national agencies to ensure the park’s ecological integrity and security are maintained.
Under the deal, revenue collection shall be undertaken jointly by the County Government of Kajiado and the National Government through the Ecitizen platform.
“Five percent (5%) of the total revenues collected from Amboseli National Park shall be reserved in perpetuity for the National Government to support continuous research, ecological monitoring and evaluation activities undertaken by State Department for Wildlife (SDW) & Research Training Institute (WRTI),” reads part of the notice.
The notice also states that net revenues shall progressively be shared between the National and the County Government of Kajiado over the course of three financial years commencing 1st July, 2026.
Amboseli, one of Kenya’s most visited wildlife parks, is globally renowned for its vast elephant herds, diverse wildlife, and breathtaking views of Mount Kilimanjaro.
