MPs want government to ring-fence tourism revenue for wildlife victims

Tourism Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano. [File, Standard]

Members of Parliament want the government to ring-fence a substantial amount of money earned from the Tourism sector to be used for compensation of victims of the human-wildlife conflict.

This was after Tourism Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano told the National Assembly Committee on Public Petition that the country earned Sh562 billion in 2025 and Sh452 billion in 2024 from the tourism sector.

Kuria East MP Marwa Kitayama pointed out that the sustainability of compensation of victims of human-wildlife conflict was dependent on the goodwill of the government of the day and that there was a need to have it anchored in law.

“While we acknowledge the Ministry of Tourism's efforts in clearing backlog for compensation of victims of human-wildlife conflict, there are concerns that the allocation of compensation fund is neither anchored in law nor does it compare to the revenue generated by the sector,” said Kitayama.

Miano told the MPs the earnings from the Tourism sector were injected in crucial sectors like security, education and infrastructure development in the country and that the government was doing everything possible to create a conducive environment for more tourists visiting the country.

Kajiado South MP George Sunkuyia said the Sh5million given out as compensation to families of individuals who have lost their loved ones after being killed by wild animals was very little and the government should consider increasing it further.

Miano said that the Government has progressively allocated resources towards Human-Wildlife Conflict compensation and that in the year 2025/2026, the State Department for Wildlife disbursed approximately Sh960 million nationally.

“The Government nevertheless recognises that the level of available resources has not always been sufficient to meet the bulk of eligible claims within the desired timeframe. The Government is therefore undertaking reforms to improve the efficiency, transparency and responsiveness of the compensation process,” said Miano.

The Cabinet Secretary told MPs that these reforms are intended to reduce avoidable delays, strengthen claims management and verification, improve information management and enhance accountability throughout the compensation cycle.

She said that the government is open to reviewing the existing framework with a view to determining whether additional functions can lawfully and efficiently be undertaken at county level without compromising accountability, uniformity, financial controls or the integrity of the compensation system.

Miano said that the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act already provides for a Wildlife Compensation Scheme, including monies allocated through the national budget process.

She said that the Wildlife Conservation Trust Fund (WCTF) has also been established within the public finance management framework to provide a mechanism for mobilising and managing resources for wildlife conservation, including Human-Wildlife Conflict Mitigation.

“We submit that the government supports strengthening the sustainability and predictability of compensation financing and will continue to engage the National Treasury and other relevant stakeholders on mechanisms for ensuring adequate and sustainable financing of Human-Wildlife compensation,” said Miano.