State eyes high-end hotels at new Tsavo West Rhino Sanctuary
President William Ruto launches the Tsavo West Rhino Sanctuary in Ngulia as Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano (right) and PS Silvia Museiya look on.
The government will develop high-end hotels and generate revenue from carbon credits at the new Tsavo West Rhino Sanctuary in Ngulia, Taita-Taveta County, President William Ruto has said.
Dr Ruto spoke on Tuesday when he officially launched the 3,200 square kilometres rhino sanctuary in Tsavo West.
He said that the government wants to redefine conservation, not as a cost for the taxpayers, but as a national investment class.
“We are building a high-value tourism circuit in Tsavo and beyond, enterprise zones connected to conservancies, research, training, and ecological technology for our young people,” Dr Ruto said.
The president said he had initially been advised that the land earmarked for the conservancy held little economic value. That partly explains why the government is yet to implement a 50-50 revenue sharing plan with the county government, he said.
Dr Ruto said he was determined to change that narrative and ensure that the people of Kenya, and residents of Taita-Taveta in particular, benefit fully from the national park's potential.
He revealed that more than 4.7 million dollars (about Sh606 million) had been invested in strengthening Tsavo's protection capacity through the Kenya Rhino Range Expansion Initiative.
President Ruto said there are proposals to set up hotel infrastructure around the conservancy, which he described as the largest in the world.
“We will have five high-end hotels where tourists will pay up to 1,000 dollars per night. We have invested heavily in drone cameras, aircraft, and other security systems. There will be no low-cost hotels within this zone; those ones will remain in Voi. This is aimed at raising revenue that can be shared with the community,” he said.
The president called on investors interested in developing high-end hotels to come on board. He said the government is ready to offer incentives to drive the project forward.
"We want to integrate Tsavo East, Tsavo West and Galana Kulalu into one conservation zone. This will enable us to trade carbon credits and generate revenue that can be shared with Kenyans. Without such efforts, Kenyans will continue asking how our parks and reserves truly benefit them,” said Dr Ruto.
He said the government will construct dams to ensure a steady supply of water. He said this will reduce the human–wildlife conflicts often reported in areas surrounding game parks in Taita-Taveta and Kajiado.
At the same time, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has completed one of the country’s largest rhino tagging operations at Ngulia.
KWS Director-General Dr Erastus Kanga said the species recovery programme was a practical model that many can relate to. He said that the 3,200 square kilometre expansion of the sanctuary is designed to stimulate economic growth in the region.
“For every Sh100 you have in your pocket, Sh10 is because of wildlife. Not a single one of the 150 rhinos we are going to release today is going to be threatened,” said Dr Kanga.
National Security Adviser to President Ruto, Monica Juma, said that the expansion of the rhino sanctuary was aimed at creating an enabling environment for Kenya to be recognised as a global leader in conservation.
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