Kenya Action Programme

Abstract

This report presents the Action Program requirement for USAID/Kenya. The team reviewed the natural resource base (water, soils, animal and plant) and prepared a NRM Action Program on the basis of priorities expressed by GOK officials, project people in the field, other donors and NGOs, and USAID/Kenya. The team also reviewed international, national, local, economic, cultural, and institutional influences on natural resource management. "Bottlenecks" were highlighted, such as fragmentation of responsibilities among too many divisions of the GOK; a "brain drain" of talent from the public to the private sector; an inability to enforce specific NRM laws at a local level; the possibility of the GOK becoming overwhelmed by a rapid influx of fragmented natural resources aid; and the lack of means to carry out natural resource management tasks. The team then developed specific strategies for four priority areas --Tsavo West and Lake Nakuru National Parks, Masai Mara Wildlife Reserve, and the Tana River Primate Research Center -which were identified as "niches" where USAID/Kenya could make significant contributions; i.e., where other donors, NGOs or GOK are relatively inactive. The activities proposed for these four areas enccmpass nearly all of the Bureau's A.I.D. Plan for Natural Resources Management (PNRM) priority concerns of forestry, agroforestry and soil conservation, wildlife and extension and training. The Tsavo West National Park strategy included a strong emphasis on the restoration of the Park infrastructure and fleet of vehicles, training of additional assistant park wardens, extension to Masai herders adjacent to the park, and the provision of long term technical assistance to work with the Masai to foster tourism development outside the park for the economic benefit of the Masai. In the Masai Mara Wildlife Reserve, the emphasis was placed on extension and training of the Masai the adjacent to park with a view to reducing the wildlife/cattle grazing conflicts on the group ranches outside the reserve, to prevent further subdivision of the group ranches into smaller, fenced mini-ranches, and to teach how wildlife and tourism can economically benefit the Masai directly. The emphasis in the Lake Nakuru National Park was on promoting agroforestry and soil conservation practices in the watershed encircling the park through extension and training to prevent further siltation into Lake Nakuru --an important and unique flamingo sanctuary. The Tana River Primate Research Center strategy emphasized institutional strengthening including long term training for Kenyan scientists, and other financial support of the institution. vi Order-of-magnitude investment requirements were developed for each of the strategy components covering a 20-year period. The attainment of sustained management of the natural resource base is not instantaneous, but achievable only over a relatively long time period. The approach taken was to estimate the approximate costs of each strategy component and divide them between the three major investors --the donor, the GOK and, for the Nakuru agroforestry strategy, the farmers. The donor "primes the pump" by making the initial investments which are then phased into GOK recurrent cost obligations. The farmers who will receive training and extension in agroforestry and improved farming techniques will be expected to invest their time cash on the proposed land improvement schemes. The present value of the (order-of-magnitude) investment requirements were $2.3 and $1.3 million for the dono: and GOK respectively for the Tsavo strategy. The major portion of the anticipated donor contribution in this strategy was for the renovation of the park infrastructure and tie provision of a fleet of vehicles. The present values for the Lake Nakuru strategy was estimated at roughly $350,000 for the donor and nearly $200,000 for the GOK. The Marai Masa strategy will cost the donor nearly $900,000 and the GOK $360,000. The Tana River Primate Research Center will require funding of approximately $690,000 over a five year period. (The GOK investment requirement was not estimated).