The government has launched a Sh20.78 billion programme to fund wildlife conservation, protect ecosystems and improve community livelihoods over the next 10 years.
The Thamani Asili Programme was launched at Tsavo West National Park by Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano, who represented President William Ruto.
The initiative brings together the government, Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Enduring Earth and other conservation partners.
Under the agreement, the government will contribute US$80 million (Sh10.39 billion), matched by an equal amount in philanthropic funding mobilised through TNC and Enduring Earth.
The programme adopts a long-term financing model designed to provide predictable funding for conservation, reducing reliance on short-term projects.
It will support conservation efforts in 31 counties, contributing to Kenya’s ambition to place at least 30 per cent of its land, inland waters and near-shore ecosystems under effective conservation and management.
The initiative aims to establish about 2.7 million hectares of conserved areas, improve the management of 11 million hectares of existing conservation areas and help communities manage a further six million hectares.
About 1.6 million people are expected to benefit directly, while another 3.9 million could benefit from improved land management and nature-based economic activities.
The programme is also expected to support 7,800 direct jobs and 15,000 indirect jobs in sectors such as ecotourism, sustainable grazing and carbon initiatives.
It will initially focus on four landscapes: Tsavo to Coastal, Greater Ewaso, Greater Rift to Western, and Southern Kenya.
In the Tsavo-to-Coastal landscape, the programme will improve ecosystem management, protect water sources, address human-wildlife conflict and support sustainable community enterprises.
Other interventions will include protecting wildlife corridors and endangered species, improving rangeland management and strengthening community participation in natural resource management.
KWS director general Erustus Kanga said conservation must protect wildlife while improving the lives of communities living alongside it.
“In Tsavo, conservation is not just about protecting wildlife; it is about protecting a way of life, honouring the cultures and heritage of our communities and securing a future where people and wildlife thrive together,” he said.
Kanga added that communities must benefit from conservation, noting that their wellbeing was closely linked to wildlife survival.
TNC Africa regional managing director Ademola Ajagbe said the programme marked a shift towards long-term conservation funding, with communities at the centre of its implementation.
He said its success would be measured by improvements in livelihoods and the opportunities created for local people, rather than the size of the fund.
The programme will be managed through the newly established Thamani Asili Fund for Kenya, an independent conservation trust responsible for managing funds, disbursing financing and tracking progress against agreed targets.
It is also expected to help avoid about 7.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions by 2035, linking wildlife conservation with climate action and economic resilience.
