• TTWCA wants to be part of the players taking part in the discussions for being key players in conservation
• The conservancies are spread over a million acres of rangeland, which serve as herding areas and a wildlife migratory corridor
Image: SOLOMON MUINGI
The Taita Taveta Wildlife Conservancy Association wants to be included in the ongoing Tsavo East and West National Park revenue-sharing talks.
They said they are key stakeholders in the Tsavo ecosystem and should, therefore, be part of the players taking part in the high-level discussions.
The talks are led by the Intergovernmental Relations Technical Committee.
They are meant to reach a sharing deal and develop a framework for sharing revenue from the twin national parks.
Among the stakeholders involved are officials from the Taita Taveta county government, State Department for Wildlife, Commission for Revenue Allocation and Kenya Wildlife Service.
However, TTWCA chairman Bong'osa Mcharo has called out the talks.
He says the more than 27 conservancies form a critical component of wildlife management and conservation, and their inclusion will be key in getting a solution.
The conservancies are spread over a million acres of rangeland, which serves as herding areas and a wildlife migratory corridor.
“Hundreds of the big five now reside in the rangelands, and we are playing a central role in wildlife conservation,” Mcharo told journalists in Mwatate on Monday.
He further said that over the years, the migratory corridors have helped wildlife to cross from Tsavo National Park in Kenya to Mkomazi National Park in Northern Tanzania.
He said key conservation players should be involved in the talks to ensure residents reap full benefits from the park.
Mcharo said residents are wallowing in poverty due to destruction caused by stray wildlife, pointing out that timely compensation should also be part of the deal.
“Besides the revenue share, let the committee prioritise other issues, such as timely payment of compensation claims, and come up with ways of taming the perennial human-wildlife conflict,” he said.
A fortnight ago, the IGRTC team reaffirmed its commitment to ending the revenue-sharing dispute within the stipulated timelines.
In a meeting with Taita Taveta county officials, led by Deputy Governor Christine Kilalo, IGRTC member John Kimwela said the committee would also help tackle the perennial human-wildlife conflict through a deal between the county and KWS.
“We assure the people of Taita Taveta that we will do whatever it takes to ensure this case is closed in their best interests,” Kimwela said.
Some of the issues in the dispute between the county and KWS are timely compensation, boundary and land disputes, mining in the park and job opportunities for locals.
Others include park fencing to prevent wild animals from encroaching on residential areas and Corporate Social Responsibility.
The devolved unit is eyeing a pie of the billions collected from the park annually as they await implementation of a presidential directive on sharing of revenue from the expansive conservation area on a 50-50 basis.
While touring the county last month, President William Ruto promised that the revenue will be shared equally between KWS and counties bordering the park.
He said there has not been an equitable share of revenue from the park, resulting in marginalisation.
Kenya's biggest and oldest national park occupies more than 60 per cent of the Taita Taveta county landmass.
The more than 22,000 sq km park also borders Kitui, Makueni, Kilifi, Kwale, Tana River and Kajiado counties.