Some Mombasa residents who took part in a public participation exercise to share views on the proposed transfer of Amboseli National Park, a national natural resource to the county government of Kajiado have opposed the move.
The residents said the transfer would spur discrimination against other communities who reside in places with limited resources and depend on the national revenue for services.
Speaking in Mombasa Joshua Muthoka said the management of the park may not be seamless and will be interrupted by the change of Governors after every five years to which some employ staff on favoritism.
“This is a good move but there is a possibility that the management may not be seamless and will be interrupted. The county government should have officers who will learn from the national government how best to collect resources to ensure the process is seamless,” Muthoka said.
He added that it would only be fair for the Maa community to be given a share of the total revenue collected by the national government since the ecosystem is within them – Maa speakers comprise the Maasai (Narok and Kajiado Counties), Samburu (Samburu and Laikipia Counties), Laikipia (Laikipia County), Njemps (Baringo County) and groups of Ndorobo neighboring the Maasai.
Benard Molo from Nyeri said the transfer will make other counties with similar natural national resources to prepare proposals for the transfer of those resources to their respective county governments.
Another resident, Abdallah Salim, said that after the transfer the Kajiado County Government may formulate policies that might be unfavorable to local tourists accessing the park.
“Fees for accessing the park might hike and yet we are used to a standardized figure which is relative to other national parks in the country. There might also be policies that will favor the Maa community at the expense of other Kenyans,” Salim.
According to Mariam Beyawa from Kisauni sub-county, there are many national parks across the country thus the need for the leadership to handle the issue with a lot of caution not to spur other areas to call for the same.
Cleopa Mwawasi from Jomvu sub-county supported the move saying that the Maa community has proved over time that they can peacefully coexist with wildlife in that area therefore once the resource is taken back to their watch, they will do better in terms of wildlife conversation.
He added that the residents have also agreed to add some parcels of their land to the park to give ample space, a move that will benefit the county.
“There is a legal framework that will guide the transfer process. The transition can also be done gradually as the government monitors the progress and access the outcome of the transfer,” he added.
Yasmin Omar a resident of Mombasa said that national resources should not be passed over to county governments since the counties have proved ineffective in handling some of the devolved functions such as the health sector.
Omar said that the county government cannot manage a national park of that magnitude that is a major tourist attraction center in the country.
Advisory Committee on the Transfer of the Amboseli National Park, said the process will involve conversion of the land from public land being held by the national government to community land under the management of Kajiado County on behalf of the community.
The Chairperson of the committee Francis Muite said that the committee was formed by the Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife following a directive by the president that the park be transferred from the management of KWS to the Kajiado County government.
“I am glad that we have met this requirement and we have also done a lot of research as an advisory committee regarding this assignment and we are now at the tail end of preparing our report to the CS,” he said, adding that have engaged members of the public and stakeholders in public participation forums to get views as per the Constitution.
Mr Muite noted that several considerations have been made on the level of competence of the county in managing the Park, adding that the transfer will be transitional where the county government’s capacity will be built with KWS to co-management until they are fully equipped.
Furthermore, it is important to involve the community that lives along Amboseli National Park in line with research that, Muite said, has shown that national reserves and parks cannot be managed sustainably without involving the communities within the ecosystem.
“When the community is not involved, they will kill the animals. Even in terms of benefits, if they are not benefitting, then the people will get to conflict with the wildlife,” he added.
The park is currently managed by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and covers 392 square kilometers. -By Chari Suche/KNA
