The High Court has suspended the hearing of a petition filed by Taita Taveta County government demanding a share of millions of revenue collected from tourists visiting the two Tsavo national parks in the county.
In the petition, the Governor Granton Samboja-led administration claimed that the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) infringed upon its rights by refusing to give the information they requested on all statements on revenue collected from Tsavo West and Tsavo East National Parks from 2013-2018.
Mr Samboja claimed that though the two wildlife parks occupy more than half of the county landmass and generate millions of shillings, his county does not get a share of the revenue. He wanted the court to allow his administration to start collecting the revenue.
But Justice James Makau has referred the petition to intergovernmental alternative dispute resolution mechanism after KWS raised an objection saying the matter should have been settled as stipulated in the Inter-Governmental Relations Act (2012). This is because the dispute also relates to two levels of government.
"The Preliminary objection is meritorious and so as to give the parties time to initiate the Intergovernmental Dispute Resolution Mechanisms and complete the same, I will allow the objection by the KWS, stay the petition for a period of one year within which period the petitioner should resort to an alternative dispute resolution mechanism with the Respondent (KWS) and also have an opportunity to pursue its petition in case the dispute resolution mechanism fails," said the judge.
The judge stated that if the county government fails to take action towards resolving its dispute within the one year period, the petition should stand dismissed.
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