The Government will start ceding 50 percent of revenues from national parks to host communities as part of efforts to transform their lives.
President William Ruto on Tuesday said the move was aimed at benefiting host communities, through projects aimed at uplifting their lives.
“I have directed that all revenues from our national parks and game reserves should be divided equally between the host counties and the national government,” he said.
The directive will be good news to counties such as Taita Taveta which has been at the forefront in calling for national government to remit part of billions collected from the parks to the devolved units. The argument has been that the residents of park bordering counties despite ceding larger portion of their land to the parks, and that they are directly affected by the human-wildlife conflict, often resulting in deaths, injuries and destruction of property, often mises out on the revenue collected from the facilities.
The president also said the Government will exploit Kenya’s rich cultural heritage to diversify tourist attractions.
He argued that tourism is no longer just about sights and sounds but also about the people., and that the Government will partner with Counties to support cultural preservation initiatives.
He cited the provision of funds for Maa Cultural Festival that will be celebrated annually.
“Today’s tourist is drawn to authentic cultural experiences; therefore, today’s tourism must meet a higher standard,” he said.
He noted that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation has identified induction of boys ahead of initiation, shaving of morans and meat-eating ceremony that marks entry into adulthood as Intangible Cultural Items.
“I extend my gratitude to the Maasai community for their unwavering commitment to the preservation of Maa traditions and culture. Your resilience has given Kenya a global identity and enriched our nation’s cultural mosaic,” he said.
President was accompanied by Cabinet Secretaries Peninah Malonza (Tourism) and Soipan Tuya (Environment), Governors Patrick ole Ntutu (Narok), Joseph Lenku (Kajiado) and Jonathan Lati Leliliit (Samburu) and a host MPs.
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