This archive report was first published on 20 July 2020.
On July 20, 2020, the Kenyan government announced a plan to allocate Sh1 billion to pay the salaries of 3,500 wildlife rangers in private and community conservancies.
The move is aimed at mitigating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has depleted the revenues of private conservancies due to a lack of tourism.
Tourism and Wildlife Secretary Najib Balala said the government had allocated the funds to support the rangers who work outside the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) parks.
"The money will go towards paying salaries for rangers in 160 conservancies that is outside KWS managed parks and game reserves. We are targeting 3,500 rangers whose salaries will be paid for one year," he said.
Mr. Balala appealed to donors to support private and community conservancies to stay afloat until after the pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a significant decline in tourism, resulting in a lack of revenue for private conservancies and a potential threat to Kenya's valuable wildlife.
