NAIROBI, Kenya – The State Department for Wildlife has come under fire after a new report revealed it spent more than Sh1.2 billion on legal fees and compensation, while leaving critical conservation projects largely neglected.
Controller of Budget (CoB) Margaret Nyakang’o, in her report for the 2024/2025 financial year, flagged the department for diverting resources from development priorities despite its central role in safeguarding Kenya’s wildlife and tourism sector.
According to the report, the department spent Sh957.43 million on legal dues, arbitration, and compensation payments, contributing to a total legal expenditure of Sh1.2 billion.
At the same time, some conservation projects registered a completion rate as low as three percent.
“The expenditure comprised Sh957.43 million for legal dues/fees, arbitration and compensation payments,” Nyakang’o noted, adding that the department was among those with the highest budgetary changes, up to 40 per cent, during the financial year.
Poor use of funds
Parliament had initially approved a Sh14.34 billion budget for the department, but this was repeatedly revised, settling at Sh12.91 billion in Supplementary Estimates III.
Despite this, the report shows the department recorded the lowest development fund absorption rate at just 21 per cent, while recurrent spending soared to 101 per cent of its revised estimates.
By contrast, the State Department for Forestry absorbed 99 per cent of its development allocation, the highest across the Ministry of Environment.
Despite receiving an additional Sh900 million to “facilitate smooth implementation of programmes,” the department failed to fund half of its critical projects.
These include water provision for wildlife in protected areas, construction of four research and training centres, and development of a national wildlife data portal.
Petition to Parliament
The revelations echo concerns raised in a petition filed in the National Assembly by the Capital Youth Caucus Association (CYCA), which is pushing for an audit of the department’s expenditure.
The lobby group acknowledged the importance of wildlife conservation to Kenya’s economy but warned that persistent misallocation of funds risked undermining both conservation and tourism.
“Concerns have been raised regarding the efficiency, transparency and accountability of resource utilisation within the department,” the petition states.
It adds: “Overspending on legal fees undermines conservation priorities, development of wildlife infrastructure, and youth employment opportunities tied to tourism. Persistent project delays weaken public confidence, compromise conservation efforts, and threaten Kenya’s competitiveness as a leading tourism destination.”
Conservation at risk
Among the neglected projects are wildlife security, conservation, and management programmes, which recorded one of the lowest absorption ratios despite rising threats such as poaching, human-wildlife conflict, and climate change impacts on protected areas.
The CoB has now called for stricter budget discipline and prioritisation of development programmes, warning that continued diversion of funds risks stalling progress in wildlife protection and damaging Kenya’s reputation as a global safari leader.
