The Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife and Centum Foundation are seeking to raise Sh130 million to improve tourism facilities, safety and conservation efforts on Mount Kenya over five years.
The funding will be channelled through the Friends of Mount Kenya initiative, which aims to upgrade visitor facilities, strengthen mountain rescue capabilities and create economic opportunities for communities around the mountain.
Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano signed the partnership with Centum Foundation, working alongside the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB).
The partnership follows a series of engagements with the Magical Kenya rebranding taskforce, led by MaryAnn Musangi, which explored opportunities to strengthen Kenya's international tourism positioning and unlock the potential of Mount Kenya as a leading global adventure tourism destination.
Centum Capital managing partner Fred Murimi said the initial interventions would focus on mountain connectivity, trail marking, sanitation, emergency response, visitor information and training for guides and porters.
“The initiative will initially prioritise practical interventions in mountain connectivity, trail marking, sanitation, emergency response, visitor information and guide and porter development, before progressing to larger infrastructure investments,” Murimi said.
The programme will later consider larger infrastructure investments, although the ministry and its partners did not provide a detailed funding breakdown or implementation timeline for individual projects.
Under the arrangement, Centum Foundation will coordinate fundraising, programme implementation and reporting, while the ministry will provide policy direction.
KWS will identify and implement priority projects within its conservation and park management mandate, with KTB responsible for promoting Mount Kenya as a tourism destination.
Mount Kenya is a major water catchment supporting more than seven million people and contributes to livelihoods through tourism, agriculture and other economic activities.
The initiative projects that raising annual visitor numbers to 100,000 could generate between Sh4.4 billion and Sh6.6 billion in annual tourism spending, create 5,300 to 7,800 direct and indirect jobs, and produce between Sh660 million and Sh1.05 billion in government revenue.
Small and medium-sized enterprises could earn between Sh890 million and Sh1.55 billion annually under the projections.
The figures are estimates of potential economic benefits rather than guaranteed returns, with their realisation depending on investment, growth in visitor numbers and further validation.
The partners also plan to hold an annual Friends of Mount Kenya summit to attract investors and report on progress.
The campaign will be linked to Kenyan mountaineer Martin Mumo's planned expedition to Mount Everest in 2027.
The partnership comes as the tourism sector seeks to expand adventure tourism and increase economic benefits from Kenya's natural attractions.
