Kenya's community conservancies struggle after US funding freeze

Esmile Wanjala has been a community ranger for the last five years.

At Mgeno Conservancy in Taita Taveta, Corporal Ranger Wanjala knows her job is dangerous and unpredictable — yet she carries it out with a smile.

“We are 16 rangers safeguarding 53,000 acres, but only four of us are women,” she says. Often, they patrol in worn-out boots and tattered uniforms, covering kilometres on foot due to the lack of vehicles.

In 2022, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) launched a $7.8 million (Sh1.01 billion) conservation programme funded by the US government to protect biodiversity, improve governance and build climate resilience in Kenya’s Amboseli and Tsavo ecosystems.

The five-year initiative was cut short after USAID funds were frozen in January 2025 under a directive by former US President Donald Trump.

According to IFAW Chief of Party George Okwaro, the project had already placed 376,000 acres under improved conservation management, developed five conservancy management plans, rehabilitated 430km of roads, constructed offices and trained 133 community officers in anti-poaching operations — resulting in over 100 arrests and a decline in poaching incidents.

It also supported 1,545 people in climate-smart farming, provided 500 households with solar and energy-efficient stoves and supplied rangers with motorcycles, uniforms and boots.

The freeze has hit projects hard. Taita Taveta Wildlife Conservancies Association CEO Alfred Mwanake says initiatives such as the “honey economy” — expected to supply 1,200 beehives to 80 households and potentially earn Sh40 million annually — stalled midway.

The association which represents 35 community conservancies covering over 4,046km² of key wildlife corridors, received half of its allocated $2.1 million before the funding halt.

Roads, radio networks and other planned infrastructure have been left incomplete.

Choke Conservancy manager Robert Kitatu said earlier funding provided motorcycles, smartphones for ecological monitoring and camera traps, as well as improved 50km of road. Now, with finances cut, staff must work harder to maintain security and tourism services.

 Kenya has 160 conservancies covering 11 per cent of the country’s land. With 65 per cent of wildlife living on community and private land, these areas are vital for conservation and livelihoods. Yet with nearly 70 per cent of Kenya’s wildlife lost over the past 30 years, leaders warn that without consistent funding, gains could quickly unravel.