Tourists enjoy a game drive at the Amboseli National Park.
A dispute over revenue from Amboseli National Park has escalated, with the County Government of Kajiado and local community leaders accusing the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) of failing to honour a revenue-sharing agreement and threatening to block access to the park if the money is not remitted within seven days.
The standoff centres on KWS’s failure to remit 50 per cent of the park’s revenue for the 2025/2026 financial year, which ended on June 30, as provided for under a three-year Transition Implementation Framework.
Under the framework, KWS was expected to remit 50 per cent of the revenue from the financial year ending June 30 on July 1, 2026, before increasing the share to 80 per cent in the 2026/2027 financial year and transferring 100 per cent in 2027/2028.
On Tuesday, leaders from the seven group ranches that make up the Amboseli ecosystem accused KWS of frustrating President William Ruto’s directive on the transfer of Amboseli National Park by failing to release the agreed share of revenue.
The leaders issued the ultimatum after a meeting inside the park attended by Kajiado Governor Joseph Ole Lenku and Kajiado South MP Samuel Parashina.
Olgulului-Olarashi Group Ranch chairman Daniel Leturesh and Imbirikani Group Ranch chairman Daniel Metui warned that the community would take control of the park if KWS failed to comply.
“We have confirmed with the County Government that they have not received Amboseli cash. We are giving them seven days to honour the President’s decree, or we shall take Amboseli by force,” said Mr Leturesh.
Mr Leturesh, who is also chairman of the Amboseli Ecosystem Trust, accused KWS of making repeated attempts to frustrate implementation of the transition framework.
Mr Metui said the community would occupy the park on July 14 if the revenue was not released.
Revenue collection centre
“On July 14, we shall occupy Amboseli. We have been patient, but they are pushing us to the corner. The community is waiting for its resources. We are calling upon all our members to be ready for Tuesday next week,” he said.
After the meeting, the ranch leaders went to Kimana Gate and marked the site where they said the community would establish a revenue collection centre if KWS failed to remit the funds.
Available data shows KWS collects about Sh3 billion annually from Amboseli National Park, one of Kenya’s leading tourist attractions.
Governor Lenku accused KWS of undermining the transition process and defying the President’s directive.
“We have witnessed sabotage in this final process. We have had a painstaking three-year journey to reach where we are. It cannot be that KWS is insubordinating the President on such a sensitive matter. We are aware they sponsored an activist to go to court, but which Government project or programme is not facing cases in court? That cannot be an excuse,” he said.
The governor said the community had committed one million acres of land to expand wildlife dispersal areas and deserved to benefit from the arrangement.
“Amboseli is merely 80,000 acres. Basically, it is a watering point. The majority of the wildlife is within community land. This commitment on wildlife roaming land was done in good faith,” he said. “Let KWS keep off Amboseli Park. We are not begging; we are demanding.”
Governor Lenku said there was already an agreed formula for sharing the revenue collected from the park.
“Forty per cent of this money will go to the County Government, another 40 per cent will go to community programmes, while 20 per cent will go to the authority that will be running the park,” he said.
MP Parashina said residents were becoming increasingly anxious over the delay and appealed to President Ruto to intervene.
Active High Court case
“We do not want to imagine that this can drag on. We believe the President meant well, and we bring to his attention that some junior officers are sabotaging the implementation of the most critical promise he has ever made to the Maa Nation,” he said.
The legislator backed the planned July 14 protest, saying he would join residents in solidarity.
“We shall be there in solidarity with the community. They will start to erect barriers at the entries to the park. We urge tourists who may have plans to visit from Tuesday to make alternative arrangements until we resolve our in-house matters with KWS,” he said.
By the time of going to press, KWS Head of Communication Duncan Juma said the agency supported the transition but could not proceed because of an active High Court case challenging the transfer of the park’s management to the county government.
“There is a stay order pending a hearing on October 5, 2026. The conservatory orders were issued on December 30, 2025,” Mr Juma said.
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