GAZETTE NOTICE NO. 1962

IN EXERCISE of the powers conferred by section 44 (3) of the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act, 2013, the Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife gazettes the plan in the Schedule hereto: SCHEDULE The Mara North Conservancy Management Plan 2024-2028 (hereinafter referred to as “the Plan”) defines the goals, objectives, and actions that Mara North Conservancy (hereinafter referred to as “the Conservancy”) has designed to address wildlife conservation, community livelihoods, tourism development, livestock production and Conservancy administration and management. The Conservancy’s vision, zonation scheme, management programmes and plan implementation strategy are summarized in the following sections. 1. Vision The vision of the Mara North Conservancy is to establish itself as ‘a world-class conservancy with a long-term commitment to benefit the environment, wildlife and community livelihoods through tourism partnership’. 2. Land Uses and Zones The Conservancy zonation scheme provides a dual framework designed to enhance management presence in the Conservancy and regulate land use activities. The zonation scheme comprises four management zones: Zone 1, Zone 2, Zone 3 and Zone 4. In addition, the Conservancy features four land use zones: Tourism Exclusive Use Zone, Conservation and Livestock Zone, Livestock Breeding Area and Settlement Zone. The primary land uses in the Conservancy are wildlife conservation and livestock rearing. 3. Management Programmes The Plan comprises five (5) management programmes: Wildlife Conservation and Management programme, Land Use, Culture and Livelihood programme, Tourism Development and Management programme, Livestock and Grazing Management programme and Security, Operations and Infrastructure programmes. These programmes are summarised in the following sections. 3.1 Wildlife Conservation and Management Programme The Wildlife Conservation and Management Programme consists of two main components: The Wildlife sub-programme and the Habitat sub-programme. The Wildlife sub-programme aims to achieve a set of goals that focus on: reducing human-wildlife conflict, preserving existing wildlife corridors, maintaining the boundaries with Masai Mara National Reserve and Olare Motorogi Conservancy free from settlements, eliminating poaching in the Conservancy, reducing disease transmission between domestic and wild animals, mitigating the impacts of large infrastructure projects, reducing road kills, minimising animal harassment and, reducing competition between livestock and wildlife. The Habitat sub-programme aims to: Halt and reclaim degraded land, reduce land sub-division and sales, reduce incompatible land use, and co-ordinate and control the development of structures around the Conservancy. 3.2 Land Use, Culture and Livelihoods Programme The Land Use, Culture and Livelihoods Programme consists of seven sub-programmes: Land Tenure and Land use, Settlement, Access to Water, Culture, Livelihoods, Health and Education. The Land Tenure and Land use sub-programme aims to mitigate land subdivision, increase the returns of land under conservation, and manage human population growth. The goal of the Settlement sub- programme is to develop and implement the settlement plan. The Access to Water sub-programme aims to provide sufficient quality and reliable water resources. The Culture sub-programme is committed to preserving the local culture. The Livelihoods sub-programme works to safeguard land, empower local women and enforce the Conservancy’s cultural manyatta policy. The Health sub-programme seeks to improve access to affordable, quality healthcare services. The Education sub- programme focuses on improving access to quality education, alleviating poverty and reducing the school dropout rates for both boys and girls. 3.3 Tourism Development and Management Programme The Tourism Development and Management Programme comprises of three Sub- programme: Tourism Carrying Capacity, Quality Target and Management Regulations sub-programmes. The purpose of the Tourism Carrying Capacity sub-programme is to stop the expansion of current tourism facilities and prevent the creation of new ones. The Quality Target sub-programme aims at enforcing minimum environmental standards, achieving silver eco-rating for all member camps, ensuring compliance with the national water regulations, ensuring that the Conservancy becomes a signatory to the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism, and completing the IUCN Green Listing process. The Management Regulations sub- programme seeks to eliminate charcoal burning and firewood collection within the Conservancy, control littering in all centres and lodges, enforce NEMA noise pollution guidelines, and ensure compliance with management regulations. 3.4 Livestock and Grazing management Programme The Livestock and Grazing Management Programme consists of four sub-programmes: Livestock Numbers, Livestock Breeds, Livestock Type (Shoats), and Grazing management. The Livestock Numbers sub-programme aims to enforce the landowners-agreed livestock carrying capacity, determine and record the exact number of livestock on the Conservancy, manage access to water points and salt licks, and reduce livestock numbers to sustainable levels. The Livestock Breeds sub-programme focuses on improving livestock breeds. The Livestock Type (Shoats) sub-programme seeks to restrict the grazing of sheep and goats within the Conservancy. The Grazing Management sub-programme aims to implement the comprehensive grazing plan (wet and dry seasons), enhance awareness and educate herders about grazing rules, and improve access to markets for livestock owners. 3.5 Security, Operations and Infrastructure Programme The Security, Operations, and Infrastructure Programme comprises five sub-programmes: Human Resources, Equipment, Infrastructure and Development, Camp Security, and Partners. The Human Resources (Rangers and other staff) sub-programme focuses on securing adequate funding, enhancing mobility, controlling cattle and herders, developing a comprehensive code of regulations for incident response, ensuring ranger motivation, and providing relevant staff training. The Equipment sub-programme aims to secure funding for equipment, improve equipment handling, and obtain the required permissions and licenses for firearms and radios. The Infrastructure and Development sub-programme seeks to raise funds for infrastructure development and maintenance, ensure proper maintenance of existing infrastructure, and obtain landowners’ consent for non-permanent construction. The overall goal of the Camp Security sub-programme is to establish a rapid response unit. The Partners sub- programme aims to build structured relationships with partners, achieve coordinated security provision and human-wildlife conflict mitigation, and motivate the Conservancy’s partners. 4. Plan Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation The management plan will be executed through the Conservancy’s annual work plans and budgets, which will be prepared by the General THE KENYA GAZETTE 21st February, 2025 Manager and the Conservancy Manager. These work plans will align with the goals of this management plan and their corresponding activities and indicators. The work plans will be reviewed and presented to the Board of Directors during quarterly meetings, where performance will be assessed against the specified indicators. Progress on plan implementation will be presented through the annual compliance report at the Mara North Board Annual General Meeting. Success will be evaluated based on key performance indicators outlined in each work plan. The Plan is deposited at the offices of the Director-General, Kenya Wildlife Service along Langata Road, and the General Manager, Mara North Conservancy whose addresses are provided below: The Director-General, Kenya Wildlife Service, P.O. Box 40241–00200, Nairobi. Tel: (254) 020 6000800/6002345 E-mail: kws@kws.go.ke The General Manager, Mara North Conservancy, P.O. Box 15454–00509, Hardy E-mail: admin@maranorth.org Dated the 16th October, 2024. REBECCA MIANO, Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife.