The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
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The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has urged Kenyans to support its proposal to review conservation fees, warning that the sector could face collapse if the funding gap is not addressed.
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Speaking during the final public participation forum at KICC, Nairobi, KWS Director General Erustus Kanga noted that park entry fees have remained unchanged since 2007, despite rising operational costs for fuel, food, patrol vehicles, human-wildlife conflict response, salaries, and equipment.
“Our annual income is Sh7.9 billion against a conservation need of Sh19.7 billion—a shortfall of Sh12 billion,” Kanga said, warning that continued underfunding could cripple wildlife protection efforts.
He explained that before the proposal, KWS commissioned an independent pricing study, which found Kenya offers world-class wildlife experiences at some of the lowest rates globally, leading to undervaluation of its natural heritage.
Kanga assured stakeholders that the proposed changes would not be extreme, with a tiered, market-sensitive, and phased structure that maintains affordable rates for Kenyan citizens and residents.
The review aims to boost community conservancies, enhance predator-proof bomas, build more fences, increase benefit-sharing, and create livelihoods tied to conservation.
New tourism experiences such as night game drives, balloon safaris, canoeing, and hiking are also planned to encourage visitors to stay longer and spend more.
Kanga warned that without the review, parks could deteriorate, rangers could be demoralised, wildlife could vanish, and communities could lose interest in conservation.
Over the past one and a half weeks, KWS held 20 forums across 19 counties, gathering feedback from tourism operators, conservationists, youth, and government officials.
Stakeholders called for prudent fund use, improved park infrastructure, innovative tourism products, flexible pricing tailored to each park, regular reviews to avoid sudden increases, and transparency in fund utilisation.
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KWS Head of Marketing and Business Development, Gladys Kosgei, presented figures showing consistent budget shortfalls over recent years, with projections indicating the gap could widen to Sh12.24 billion in 2025-26.
The feedback from the forums will inform the second draft of the Wildlife Conservation and Management (Access and Conservation Fees) Regulations, 2025, before final validation and submission to Parliament for approval.
