Kitengela transforming: Will pastoralists and wildlife survive?
2007
Reto-o-Reto Project
The semi-arid Kitengela plains south of Nairobi National Park (NNP) have been the longtimehome of the Kaputiei Maasai community. Together with NNP these plains form theAthi-Kaputiei ecosystem. The plains host rich populations of wildlife and are vital to thehealth of NNP, since 70 to 80 percent of the Park’s animals roam outside it’s boundariesat any one time.But the rangeland that once seemed endless is now splintering. Close to the everexpanding Nairobi, the Kitengela plains are experiencing a population boom, rising landprices and speculation, commercial and subsistence farming, and unregulatedurbanisation. Maasai who once tended large cattle herds on communal land now oftenhave a few animals on individual plots, and are selling off their own land for the cash tosurvive. Wildlife populations have dropped by more than 70 percent over 25 years.If present trends continue, the future may find - the Maasai dispossessed, a mere remnantof wildlife remaining in Nairobi National Park, severe water scarcity, and large areas ofdegraded land. Urgent planning and action involving all stakeholders is the best hope forgiving Kitengela’s human, livestock and wildlife residents a healthy future.
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