NAIROBI, Kenya – President William Ruto has renewed his push to place the management of Amboseli National Park under Kajiado County, criticising people who challenge government decisions in court as he defended the proposed handover as a matter of fairness to the Maasai community.
Speaking at the Maa Cultural and Tourism Festival in Narok on Saturday, November 14, 2026, Ruto argued that Kajiado residents should benefit from Amboseli in the same way Narok County benefits from the Maasai Mara.
The President said the park should be returned to the people of Maa, accusing unnamed individuals of repeatedly taking the government to court whenever it implements policies they oppose.
“Mimi nilisema ya kwamba ile Amboseli ilipatianwa kwa serikali irudishiwe wenyewe, watu wa Maasai, watu wa Maa wa Kajiado County. Nilisema kwa sababu mimi nataka usawa. Kama hii Maasai Mara ni mali ya watu wa Narok County, Amboseli ni mali ya watu wa Kajiado County,” he said.
He added: “Kuna matapeli na wakora, wanatupeleka kortini mara tukifanya kazi ya serikali ambayo hawapendi.”
His remarks have revived attention on a dispute that has left the proposed transfer suspended by the High Court, with the national government and Kajiado County unable to proceed with the handover under the existing court orders.
How the Amboseli transfer dispute started
The disagreement centres on who should manage the park and benefit from its tourism revenue, against a background of longstanding Maasai community concerns over access to ancestral land, conservation decisions and the economic benefits of wildlife tourism.
Amboseli was gazetted as a national park in 1974, bringing it under national-level conservation management through the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS).
Sections of the local community have since argued that residents living alongside wildlife bear significant costs of conservation but have limited influence over decisions affecting the protected area.
Ruto has repeatedly framed the proposed handover as an effort to address those concerns by giving Kajiado County a greater role in managing the park and ensuring that local communities benefit from its resources.
What the 2025 transfer agreement provided
The proposed handover was formalised through a Deed of Transfer signed on October 14, 2025, and published in the Kenya Gazette on October 24, 2025.
The agreement sought to transfer management functions from the national government to Kajiado County, with a phased transition and an arrangement for sharing revenue generated by the park.
Importantly, the agreement did not transfer ownership of Amboseli to the county. The distinction between ownership and management is central to the dispute, with the park’s ownership remaining vested in the Kenya Wildlife Service under the deed.
At the time, the government presented the arrangement as a major devolution milestone, arguing that local communities would play a stronger role in conservation and benefit more directly from tourism.
High Court suspends the handover
The agreement was challenged by rights activist Joseph Kasau Masaa, who filed Constitutional Petition E737 of 2025 questioning the legality of transferring management functions through the arrangement adopted by the two levels of government.
On December 30, 2025, Justice Bahati Mwamuye issued conservatory orders suspending implementation of the relevant Gazette notices and restoring the management position that existed before the transfer agreement, pending determination of the petition.
The case raises constitutional questions over the allocation of responsibility for national parks and wildlife, the management of public land, the role of the National Land Commission and whether the transfer complied with the required legal and public participation procedures.
The court did not make a final determination on the petition’s merits at that stage.
Lenku faces separate contempt proceedings
The legal dispute escalated in July 2026 after Masaa filed a contempt application accusing Kajiado Governor Joseph Ole Lenku of attempting to implement the suspended transfer.
The application followed statements by Lenku and a county ultimatum requiring KWS to relinquish control of the park. The High Court subsequently issued interim orders restraining the county government, the governor and people acting on their behalf from taking over or interfering with the park’s management.
In a ruling delivered on August 18, 2026, Justice Gregory Mutai summoned Lenku to appear before the court on September 16 in his personal capacity to explain why he should not be punished for contempt.
The judge found that the evidence raised concerns about steps allegedly taken to operationalise the suspended transfer, but reserved any decision on committal or a fine until the governor had an opportunity to respond.
The summons was therefore not a final finding of contempt.
