Locals, visitors to Maasai Mara face harsh fines if they disregard park regulations
A tourist van drives past a herd of wildebeests in the Maasai Mara. Domestic tourists outnumbered international guests at the Maasai Mara Game Reserve during the holiday season. FILE PHOTO |
What you need to know:
- The county executive for Trade Tourism and Wildlife Allan ole Twala says anyone found breaking the law will be fined between Sh10, 000 and Sh50,000 on the spot, depending on one’s crime.
- For illegal grazing, Mr Twala announced a fine of Sh200 per cow and Sh50 for sheep and goats.
Narok county government has announced punitive fines on people breaking rules that guide visits at Maasai Mara Game Reserve as they aim to restore the park into a premier tourist destination.
The county executive for Trade Tourism and Wildlife Allan ole Twala says anyone found breaking the law will be fined between Sh10, 000 and Sh50,000 on the spot, depending on one’s crime.
“The accompanying penalties will be enforced to ensure that we protect our wildlife and environment,’ said Mr Twala.
The move is intended to restore the glory of the park, which has been under threat from encroachment including illegal grazing and poaching, which have caused a decrease in animal populations.
Mr Twala warned people seeking to watch game to follow laid-down regulations, or risk paying heavy penalties or being banned from the park altogether.
Anyone found harassing the wild animals or driving off-road will be fined Sh10,000. Possession of invalid tickets and littering will attract fines of Sh3,000 and Sh5,000 respectively, with the rule also setting a minimum distance of 25 meters from animals to be observed by visitors.
ILLEGAL GRAZING
For illegal grazing, Mr Twala announced a fine of Sh200 per cow and Sh50 for sheep and goats.
In the 2014/15 financial year budget estimates, the Narok county government has given priority to the management and security of the world-renowned game reserve, allocating Sh392 million for its upgrade and management.
“We are set on making the Mara a premier destination, so the funds will go towards boosting security, and improving road network and human capacity,” said governor Samuel ole Tunai.
The county government intends to collect a total Sh2.5 billion from the game reserve this year, down from last year’s Sh3.9 billion.
However, residents feel that the issues identified by the county government are intentional since a plan to set aside a 1500 square kilometre grassland in 1940s for the Maasai community has not been implemented, and is the cause of the current problems.
“The objective was to enable the community to coexist with and protect wildlife, but we were short-changed,” said a local, Mika ole Kaleku. “Even in cases of human-wildlife conflict, the families of those killed by animals are not compensated.
