Wildlife Principal Secretary Silvia Museiya launches Unganisha project in Amboseli

Wildlife Principal Secretary (PS) Silvia Museiya on Friday, 17 March, launched the Ksh424 Million Unganisha programme, an initiative funded by the German Ministry for Economic Development and Cooperation. 

Dubbed Masterplan and models for a large-scale transboundary conservation and sustainable development in Kenya, the programme seeks to contribute to Kenya’s efforts to implement wildlife corridor and dispersal area strategies while enhancing the lives of the local people through increased benefits from conservation. 

The programme is part of a transboundary project being implemented in Tanzania and Kenya. In Kenya, the programme is being implemented by four organizations, namely: African Conservation Centre, Amboseli Ecosystem Trust, Kenya Wildlife Conservancies Association and WWF-Kenya. 

“For me, the number one priority is human-wildlife conflict mitigation (HWC). Last month [February], we lost 38 people to HWC. That is a huge distraction to our success. Water must also be provided for wildlife. In your project design, include water access inside protected spaces," urged the Principal Secretary for the State Department for Wildlife, Museiya, noting the immensity of the human-wildlife conflict and water access challenges in the Amboseli conservation area. 

Speaking during the launch, Mohamed Awer, our Chief Executive Officer, said: “This project is a green wildlife corridors project. Conservation will be one of the outcomes. We must attend to the needs of women, children, the elderly and the communities who live here." 

In the three-and-half-years of implementation, the project will, among other things, restore 200 hectares of rangeland and ensure that 1,500 hectares are under grazing management plans. It will also establish a model cattle breeding farm, an eco-friendly tannery and a dairy cooperative for women in Amboseli.  

"It is good to see that Unganisha is wanted here in Kenya and Tanzania, in governments and hopefully by the people living on the ground of the programme area, and that they benefit. It's important that the programme is nothing from the outside, but your programme,” said Guido Reuter, the Head of Civil Society Cooperation at the German Ministry for Economic Development and Cooperation. 

The project launch was attended by top officials from the National Land Commission, among them Commissioners Prof James Tuitoek, Reginald Okumu and the Chief Executive Officer Kabale Tache. Others at the launch were the Kajiado South Member of Parliament Samuel Sakimba Parashina, Kajiado County Executive Committee Member for Environment Dr Leina Mpoke, representatives from the Kenya Forest Service and Kenya Wildlife Service. Hundreds of local community members also attended the launch at the Sopa Lodge.