It was our pleasure to host you at the Kenya Society Autumn Talk on Tuesday evening, and hear Mr Joseph Muya, Chair of the Friends of Lake Nakuru National Park, Lake Elementaita and Lake Naivasha speak to us about his work with wildlife conservation efforts in Kenya over the past three decades.

Mr Muya took us through his journey, starting as a young boy at the Delamare Estate in Soysambu near Naivasha. Under the stewardship of Mr Peterson Johnson, he trained as a jockey and horse breeder. Later, he was exposed to conservation and fell in love with wildlife!  In time, he invested in a wildlife sanctuary in Lake Nauru, where he currently manages the successful Lake Nakuru Eco-Lodge. You will be delighted to know that Joseph has generously extended an invitation to our members to visit his lodge on a special Kenya Society rate. Please let us know when you plan to visit, and we will be happy to coordinate your reservation.

To answer the question, ‘how serious is Kenya about wildlife conservation?’, Joseph went back to the history of conservation in Kenya and stated that the country developed its first conservation policy in 1946 and established the first national park in Nairobi and soon followed by Tsavo, one of the largest national parks in Africa. However, during World War 2, the African Rifles trained in Kenya and started shooting wildlife for sport. This prompted the government to set up a clear wildlife conservation strategy which is in force today and has resulted in the protection of what would otherwise be endangered and extinct wildlife in Kenya. Several other protected areas were established around the country to protect the treasured wildlife and their ecosystem.

Joseph informed the audience that his association’s wildlife strategy is in partnership with the Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS)  which is focused on the national parks’ ecosystem, community engagement and education through schools. He concluded by saying that despite the unfortunate death of the 11 Black Rhinos earlier in the year during translocation in Tsavo, the Kenya government is serious about its efforts in wildlife conservation and this is evident in the heavy investment in resourcing, training and technical support accorded to the KWS over the years.

Kind regards,

Patrick Orr, Chairman