The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has unveiled its Strategic Plan for 2024-2028. The Plan is designed to lay a solid foundation for a new phase of Kenya’s wildlife protection and biodiversity conservation. The Plan aims at amplifying Kenya’s wildlife economy while strengthening partnerships between KWS and its stakeholders.
Through the Plan, KWS will implement various initiatives to enhance the socio-economic potential of wildlife conservation, create employment opportunities, and improve livelihoods. Centered around five strategic goals, the Plan promises to deliver thriving wildlife populations, build resilient ecosystems rich in biodiversity, enhance community and stakeholder participation, expand Kenya’s wildlife economy, and establish a robust and high-performing organization.
Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife, Rebecca Miano, noted that expanding wildlife economy is crucial in reducing inequalities and enhancing food security. Miano reaffirmed the government’s commitment to harness Kenya’s natural heritage for sustainable development while ensuring that the benefits of conservation are equitably shared among all stakeholders. She highlighted the Plan’s focus on the wildlife economy as a key pillar with the potential to generate wealth and improve the quality of life for thousands of Kenyans.
On her part, the Principal Secretary, State Department for Wildlife, Silvia Museiya, stated, “The plan will enhance the management of human-wildlife coexistence, promote equitable sharing of conservation benefits and implement science-driven approaches to increase wildlife populations and safeguard critical ecosystems.”
KWS Director General, Dr. Kanga, weighed in on the intentional and transformative bent of the comprehensive Strategic Plan meant to implement the National Human Wildlife Coexistence Strategy and Action Plan. He further noted that these initiatives, once enacted, would, deliver resilience and sustainability to Kenya’s wildlife heritage for the benefit of future generations.