New lobby to tackle invasion of Laikipia ranches by pastoralists
Pokot herders graze their animals in Mugie Ranch in Laikipia on February 3, 2016. Hundreds of herders have, over the past few months, driven thousands of animals into the ranches. PHOTO | SULEIMAN MBATIAH | NATION MEDIA GROUP
Tourism sector players and ranchers in Laikipia County have formed a lobby to address the menace from invading pastoralists as they seek to protect the multibillion-shilling sector from collapse.
The Kenya Tourism Board, Kenya Tourism Federation, Laikipia Wildlife Forum (LWF) and Kenya Association of Tour Operators met last week and agreed to form a task force, which will act as a communications hub "to keep members of the travel industry and potential visitors to Laikipia informed during these challenging times."
The group will also market the area as a tourism destination.
Laikipia is one of the more popular tourist destinations in Kenya, but the invasion by pastoralists seeking pasture for their livestock into the expansive ranches now threatens the local tourism industry, which is estimated to inject more than Sh2 billion per year into the region.
“The taskforce is a recommendation of an industry meeting held in Laikipia last week. They gathered to address the challenges to the tourism industry resulting from the movement of large numbers of herders and livestock into the landscape,” said the LWF in a statement.
The forum added that Mugie, Laikipia Nature Conservancy and Suiyian ranches are still under occupation by herders with thousands of livestock, but that there has been no further property destruction.
On January 29, armed herders drove cattle onto Suyian ranch, set lodge buildings alight and looted property, forcing the business to close indefinitely.
Laikipia has the highest number of private conservancies in Kenya, which include ADC Mutara, Ol Ari Ng’iro, Loisaba, Ol Maisor, Ol Pejeta, Lewa, Suiyian, Ol Jogi, Segera and Solio Ranch.
Editor's note: The newly established task force has no involvement in "engaging the pastoralist community leaders on the recent invasions in the private wildlife sanctuaries" as stated in a previous version of this story. This has now been corrected.
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