President William Ruto address residents of Kajiado on September 3, 2026/PCSPresident William Ruto has expressed confidence that efforts to transfer management of Amboseli National Park to the people of Kajiado county will succeed despite legal challenges.
Ruto said some of his government’s key initiatives, including the Social Health Authority (SHA) and Affordable Housing programme, had faced similar court challenges but ultimately succeeded.
“Mimi nilikuja hapa nikasema ile national park iko hapa ya Amboseli irudi ikuwe mali ya watu wa Kajiado County,” Ruto said Thursday as he commenced his development tour of Kajiado county.
He said critics had taken him to court over the SHA, housing programme and now the Amboseli plan.
“Wengine, vile walinilepeleka kortini maneno ya SHA, maneno ya housing, wakanipeleka kortini mambo ya Amboseli,” he said.
However, the President urged residents not to be worried, saying he was confident the Amboseli initiative would withstand the legal challenge.
“Lakini msikuwe na wasiwasi. Walinipeleka kortini SHA ika-faulu, wakaenda kortini housing ikafaulu, hii Amboseli itafaulu. Nyinyi msikuwe na wasiwasi,” Ruto said.
Ruto’s remarks comes in the wake of protests by leaders and residents from the county over the delayed completion of the transfer process.
The dispute stems from Gazette Notices Nos. 15230 and 15231 published on October 24, 2005 together with a Deed of Transfer executed in October 15, 2025, through which the National Government sought to hand over management of the world-famous park to the county government.
The proposed transfer was suspended in December 2025 after the High Court found that the petition raised substantial constitutional questions requiring determination before any handover could proceed.
In that ruling through a petition filed by Joseph Kasau Masaa, Justice Bahati Mwamuye held that the management of national parks and wildlife is an exclusive function of the National Government under the Constitution and that Amboseli National Park is public land held in trust under Article 62(3).
"Management of national parks and wildlife is expressly vested in the National Government under Part I of the Fourth Schedule, and Amboseli National Park is public land held in trust under Article 62(3)," Justice Mwamuye ruled.
He said the management and protection of national parks cannot be devolved through gazette notices or executive agreements.
He further contends that the National Land Commission was unlawfully excluded from the process, Parliament never approved the transfer and there wus no meaningful public participation.
The National Government and the Attorney General had challenged the High Court's jurisdiction, arguing that the dispute belonged before the Environment and Land Court.
However, Justice Mwamuye dismissed the preliminary objection, holding that the petition primarily raises constitutional questions relating to the division of functions between the two levels of government.
Kajiado county defended the transfer, arguing that it was intended to address hustorical Injustices suffered by the Maasai community and was undertaken pursuant to a presidential directive after adequate stakeholder engagement and public participation.
The Deed for the transfer of the park was signed on October 15, 2025 by President William Ruto during an event in Amboseli.
