Opposition leader Raila Odinga’s allies in Narok county have vowed to move to court to bar the county government from implementing the Maasai Mara Management plan which was signed into law a fortnight ago.
Narok senator Ledama Ole Kina, Narok West MP Gabriel Tongoyo and former Narok North MP Moitalel ole Kenta said they are opposed to the plan because some sections directly affect the locals who have been depending on the resource for their livelihoods.
“The plan is advocating for zoning of the park which is suspicious and is not based on critical ecosystem conservation and might be a way to take away some land from the community,” Kenta said.
Ledama and Ole Kenta accompanied Raila in anti-government protests rallies in Euwaso Ngiro, Narok and Ntulele Markets in Narok county over the weekend, where Kenta said the land was sacrificed to Maasai community forefathers in 1948 for the sake of conservation and source of income.
“But through the plan, it will now be turned into a ‘private entity’ for the benefit of a few individuals and we have moved to court against the Ntutu administration to stop it from implementing the plan,” he added.
A fortnight ago, the county governor signed into law three conservation management plan after it received 100 per cent approval from members of the county assembly.
Through the plan, Ntutu put to a stop any plans of building any tourist Facilities-Camps and Lodges-as well as issuing permits to lodge developers in the feature. The reserve is already said to be congested with 41 camps and lodges inside the 1,510 sq. kilometres of government-protected park.
The latest move is the third attempt by the government to implement a management plan for the Mara. The first was slated for implementation between 2010 and 2020. Implementation, however, flopped owing to differing interests and divergent opinions among stakeholders.
Maasai Mara Game Reserve is the leading earner in terms of foreign exchange for the Narok county government where the county collects at least Ksh3 billion annually.
Senator Ledama says they are moving to court since the plan proposes the privatization of 4,000 acres of Olkiombo land which is a section of the Mara and community land, proposed demolition of camps, control of the Land lease fees for camps which is payable to community land owners, abolition of women beadwork at the gates of entrance to the reserve and eradication of grazing of livestock in the reserve by the community.
“The plan is also advocating the zoning of the park which is suspicious and is not based on critical ecosystem conservation that will lead to the demolishing of lodges and camps of the locals and leave the well-known camps that are being run by tycoons to continue to operate and make profits at the expenses of residents who have conserved the wildlife for a long time,” he said.
Tongoyo pointed out 13 thematic areas in the document which he said need to be corrected by the county assembly, among them a proposal to demolish trading centres around the Mara for they don’t comply with conservation measures, denying local tour guides and drivers licenses.
