How Kenya's wildlife conservancies make old men rich, women and youth poorer

Kenya Wildlife Service personnel release Malewa one of the two Mountain Bongos at the 776-acre Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy during their rewilding, on May 7, 2024.[File, Standard]

Kenya once had an exceptional abundance and diversity of wildlife. But as the country’s population boomed, wildlife lost space to people, buildings, roads and agriculture.

Since 1948, Kenya’s population has surged by 780 per cent, from 5.4 million people to 47.6 million people in 2019. This was accompanied by a 70 per cent decline in wildlife numbers between 1977 and 2013.