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The plan was launched at the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy during a joint event attended by the Kenyan Government, Mountain Bongo conservation partners and the International Union for Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission (IUCN SSC) Committee, which is holding its meeting in Africa for the first time.
The declaration was signed on Friday in Nairobi during the Global Flyways Summit, which also saw the launch of BirdLife International’s State of the World’s Birds report, the first edition of the publication dedicated to migratory birds and the flyways connecting their breeding, stopover and non-breeding grounds.
The President said he was forced to seek help from the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), while calling for a lasting answer to the problem facing communities living near Tsavo East and Tsavo West national parks.
She said the transition was already taking shape through electric safari vehicles in the Maasai Mara and solar-powered eco-lodges operating off the national electricity grid
In a statement on Saturday, Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano said field investigations, laboratory tests and environmental sampling had been conducted, with preliminary results pointing to the “probable involvement of a toxic substance”.
Police are investigating how 25-year-old Sefu Musa died after the group was detained inside the conservation area. His fellow traveller, Salimu Haji, was taken to hospital where he is receiving treatment, while the third man, Abdallah Nuru, managed to return to Arusha following the incident.
KWS said the deaths, which mainly involved adult females and calves, have prompted intensified surveillance and veterinary monitoring across the ecosystem, while assuring the public and tourism stakeholders that Amboseli National Park remains open and there is no evidence so far of an infectious or transmissible disease
KWS Director General Erustus Kanga said the Pest Control Products Board has been tasked with leading the technical investigation because it regulates pesticides used across the country.
KWS said the deaths occurred between June 24 and July 24, with 10 of the elephants displaying the same symptoms before they died. The agency said the affected animals developed partial paralysis, leaving them unable to stand before dying within one to two days.
DP Kindiki said the programme had demonstrated that involving neighbouring communities was the most effective way to safeguard forests for future generations. The Kaptagat Integrated Conservation Programme was started 10 years ago after it became clear that protecting the forest would only succeed if the economic and social needs of surrounding communities were addressed alongside conservation efforts.
The reports provide an extensive record of natural assets found in the three counties and are expected to serve as a key reference in land-use planning, conservation, climate adaptation and future development decisions.
Governor Lenku said residents wanted the transition completed without further delays and insisted the community would reclaim the park peacefully if the process continued to stall.