By GPC News Desk
Kenya has launched a $160 million conservation programme targeting 31 counties, with investments in wildlife protection, ecosystem restoration and community livelihoods over the next decade.
The Thamani Asili Programme was launched at Tsavo West National Park in Taita Taveta County on Wednesday, in a partnership involving the Government of Kenya, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Enduring Earth and other conservation partners.
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Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano presided over the launch, representing President William Ruto.
The 10-year initiative brings together $80 million committed by the Kenyan government and a matching $80 million in philanthropic support mobilised through TNC and its alliance partner, Enduring Earth.
The programme will use the Project Finance for Permanence model to establish predictable, long-term funding for conservation, moving away from reliance on short-term projects towards sustained investment, accountability and measurable outcomes.
It will support Kenya’s ambition to bring at least 30 per cent of its land, inland waters and near-shore ecosystems under effective conservation and management.
The programme aims to establish about 2.7 million hectares of conserved areas, improve the management of 1.1 million hectares of existing conservation areas and help communities manage a further six million hectares.
Millions Expected to Benefit
About 1.6 million people are expected to benefit directly, while another 3.9 million could benefit from improved land governance, natural resource management and nature-based economic opportunities.
The investments are projected to create about 7,800 direct jobs and 15,000 indirect jobs in areas including ecotourism, sustainable grazing, carbon initiatives and other nature-based enterprises.
KWS Director General Erustus Kanga said conservation must protect wildlife while safeguarding the livelihoods, cultures and heritage of communities living alongside animals.
“In Tsavo, conservation is not just about protecting wildlife; it is about protecting a way of life, honouring the cultures and heritage of our communities, and securing a future where people and wildlife thrive together,” Kanga said.
He pointed to the sight of elephants and livestock drinking from the same water points as a reminder of the need to manage shared landscapes responsibly.
“Our communities are not separate from conservation; they are its heart. Together, we must ensure that the people who live alongside wildlife are not only its custodians but also beneficiaries of its value,” he said.
Kanga added that communities must benefit from conservation for wildlife protection efforts to deliver lasting results.
Four Priority Landscapes
The programme will initially focus on four landscapes: Tsavo to Coastal, Greater Ewaso, Greater Rift to Western, and Southern Kenya. The areas are considered important for biodiversity, wildlife movement, water security, climate resilience and the livelihoods of millions of people.
In the Tsavo-to-Coastal landscape, interventions will include improved ecosystem management, measures to address human-wildlife conflict, protection of critical water sources and support for sustainable community enterprises.
Other activities across the four landscapes will focus on rangeland management, wildlife corridors, endangered species protection, land-use planning and community-led natural resource governance.
KWS will work with communities, county governments and conservation partners to translate the investments into practical outcomes, including wildlife protection, improved coexistence between people and animals, and better management of protected areas and connected landscapes.
Ademola Ajagbe, TNC’s regional managing director for Africa, said the programme marked a shift towards long-term conservation financing, with community leadership and tangible benefits at the centre of implementation.
“Thamani Asili is a shift from short-term, project-based conservation to a long-term, sustainably financed model that secures Kenya’s natural heritage for future generations,” Ajagbe said.
He said the partnership would bring together government, communities, conservation organisations and the private sector under a shared framework to support nature, livelihoods and climate resilience.
Ajagbe said the programme’s success should be judged not by the size of its fund but by the improvements it delivers to people’s lives.
“The true measure of Thamani Asili will not be the size of the fund. It will be the life of a herder made more secure by healthier rangelands; the young person who finds dignified work in the green economy; the woman who grows a conservation enterprise; the farmer whose soil holds more water; and the family that can prosper alongside wildlife,” he said.
“That is why community leadership is not an addition to this initiative. It is its centre of gravity.”
Fund to Track Conservation Targets
The programme will be administered through the newly established Thamani Asili Fund for Kenya, an independent conservation trust fund tasked with managing and disbursing the financing and monitoring progress against agreed conservation targets.
The initiative is also expected to help avoid about 7.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions by 2035, linking nature conservation with climate action and economic resilience.
It supports Kenya’s Vision 2030, the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda, the country’s climate commitments and global biodiversity goals.
Through long-term financing tied to measurable conservation outcomes and community priorities, the partnership aims to ensure that protecting natural ecosystems also creates economic opportunities and strengthens livelihoods.
