A Crisis Ignored: The Collapse of Wildlife Corridors in Kajiado, Makueni, and Machakos — and the Shortcomings of the Kenya 2025 Draft Wildlife Bill

I grew up in the heart of Central Kajiado during the 1980/90s, when the land still pulsed with life. Wildebeests and Zebras flowed across the plains like a living river, moving from Oldoinyo Sabuk through Nairobi National Park, across the Athi-Kapiti plains, all the way to Amboseli, and into the Matapato rangelands, along the Tanzanian border. We had our own herbivore migration, lesser known but comparable in numbers as the Serengeti-Mara migration—majestic, relentless, and deeply woven into the landscape.

The Beginning of the End: Subdivision of Group Ranches

The death knell for wildlife in these regions was the continuous and unregulated subdivision of group and cooperative livestock ranches, beginning in the late 90s and peaking in the 2010s. What was intended as a well-meaning move to privatize communal land turned disastrous for wildlife conservation and the livestock sector, which particularly suffered with the closure of iconic farms and ranches. Families that once coexisted within a broader ecosystem were gradually confined to small individually owned and uneconomically viable parcels—many of which were vital breeding grounds and migration corridors for wildlife. A case in point is the Konza and Malili ranches that were traditional breeding grounds for Coke's Hartebeest and several other grazers.

Once titles were issued, a frenzy of sales and fencing of plots ensued. Nairobi's urban sprawl spilled over its borders, severing vast open plains. Oldoinyo Sabuk was cut off from Athi-Kapiti plains by the rapid developments along Kangundo Road. Athi-Kapiti lost its lifeline to Oldonyo Sabuk National Park and Nairobi National Park as settlements along Namanga Road when Kitengela became the fastest-growing town in East Africa. The conservation sector slept on the job as these parks were reduced to zoos and closed habitats.

Wildlife species were left stranded—trapped between expanding towns, fenced lands, highways, and railways. Many simply vanished, ending up as meat in local butcheries; others smashed by speeding lorries and buses along the highways.

Left to Slowly Burn

Few voices rose to the challenge. Notable exceptions were Dr. David Nkedianye, former Governor of Kajiado County, Steven Tankard, Mr. Michael Mbithi, and Dr. Ndambuki Kasanga to mention just a few. Dr. Nkedianye championed a lease program around Nairobi National Park, urging landowners to give nature a chance. Backed by World Bank funding, this initiative showed promise. But when the money dried up, so did the momentum. Conservation efforts retreated to the usual safe zones—Amboseli, Mara, Tsavo National Parks, and parts of Lake Magadi.

The remaining large Machakos ranches once organised into Machakos Wildlife Forum led by the late David Hopcraft, Professor Phillip Mbithi and the late David Stanley. They argued that they need a wildlife economy to place value on the animals and develop a model of direct benefit to landowners away from tourism. This push never materialised and the association collapsed.

Meanwhile, the rest of Kajiado, Makueni, Kiambu and Machakos were left to slowly degrade – slowly stopping to be bastions of nature and conservation.

Infrastructure and Urbanization: The Final Blow

From 2000 to 2025, urbanization surged. Roads, fiber cables, power lines, and railways cut through once-continuous habitats. Electric fences went up, further fragmenting the landscape. Conservation organizations and government agencies turned their gaze elsewhere, mesmerized by the glamour of Amboseli, Tsavo, and the Maasai Mara regions. Critical wildlife dispersal areas like Athi-Kapiti and Matapato rangelands bled animals, but few policy makers or scientists noticed—or cared.

The result? An estimated 90% decline in wildlife populations across these regions. Mombasa Road and the 130-kilometer highway from Athi River to Namanga became insurmountable barriers. Elephants that once roamed freely from the Chyulu Hills to Magadi now have just one narrow crossing left—between Bisil and Ngatataek in Kajiado Central. Less than 10 kilometers of unfenced land remain, and the fences are closing in.

Matapato rangelands, a vital dispersal area for Amboseli, became a poacher’s paradise and a hotspot for human-wildlife conflict as people and animals fight for shrinking space.

The Silent Collapse of Athi-Kapiti Plains

Athi-Kapiti’s devastation is equally grim. Habitat loss, disease, and drought decimated wildlife numbers. For example, the region supported thousands of wildebeests and zebras but the recent wildlife count in February 2025 found just 234 wildebeests, down from 4000 in 2022. The count also found just six buffaloes in one conservancy. The Giraffe and Zebra population is still reasonably healthy with a count of 478 and 3900 respectfully. Only two lions have remained. The Hartbeast (Kongoni) has literally disappeared from the landscape.

A Flicker of Hope: The Conservancy Movement

Yet, amid the despair, a new hope is emerging. The rise of the conservancy movement has breathed life back into parts of Cental Kajiado and Athi Kapiti plains. Private ranchers, inspired by the economic benefits seen in the Maasai Mara and Amboseli, are regrouping, organizing to resist the tide and carve out a future where people and nature coexist.

But hope alone won’t secure wildlife corridors. These conservancies in Athi-Kapiti and Central Kajiado are struggling for survival. Funding is scarce as major conservation NGOs continue chasing headline-grabbing projects, blind to the larger ecological disaster.

The Critical Question: When Will We Learn?

Now that the damage is done, how long will we keep repeating the same mistakes and expect different results?

The Kenya Wildlife Conservation and Management Bill 2025 (the "2025 Wildlife Bill"), currently under public participation, presents a golden opportunity to do things differently. This must not become just another dusty document on a shelf. It should be a law that is truly pro-people and pro-wildlife—a turning point.

Why the Draft Bill Falls Short

As it stands, the draft bill does little to save wildlife. Instead, it creates new bureaucracies, such as the Kenya Wildlife Regulatory Authority and the Kenya Wildlife Research Institute, adding layers of administration without addressing the root problems.

While the bill tries to be progressive in words, it fails to empower communities and private landowners to protect and benefit from wildlife. It attempts to mimic successful models from South Africa and Namibia but stops short of granting citizens the rights to own, commercialize, and safeguard wildlife on their lands.

A Bold Proposal for Real Change

If Kenya truly wants to reverse this devastating trend, it must take a bold step: allow communities and private landowners living with wildlife to engage in serious wildlife farming – to breed and trade in a wider selection of wildlife species—excluding endangered ones—under strict regulations. Let citizens with enough land rear the eland, buffalo, the oryx, the giraffe and others.

This approach would transform wildlife from a liability into an asset, turning a burden into an opportunity. It would inject economic vitality into arid regions and give wildlife a new lease on life.

The logic is simple: the old protectionist model has failed. For over 60 years, policies driven by well-meaning but disconnected conservationists have led to the death and displacement of millions of animals.

The Way Forward: Empowerment, Ownership, and Innovation

Kenya’s protectionist policies have made wildlife regions some of the few places on earth where wealth causes suffering—much like conflict diamonds in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Until landowners and communities have full control over wildlife resources, conservation will remain a painful misadventure where only NGOs, Tour Operators and government make money.

We must act now—invest in the forgotten plains, reform our laws, and trust citizens as custodians of their wildlife. Otherwise, there is no hope. Let’s do this by choosing a different path—one rooted in sensible regulations, commerce, empowerment, ownership, and innovation. There is no time left for debate because the elephants are literally at the gate, and the last corridors are closing fast.