Kenya launches Sh20.8 billion Thamani Asili conservation programme

The Kenyan government, in partnership with The Nature Conservancy and Enduring Earth, has unveiled the Thamani Asili Programme, a Sh20.8 billion (approximately US$160 million) initiative designed to secure long-term financing for conservation and climate resilience.

Launched at Tsavo West National Park by Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano, the ten-year programme aims to protect Kenya’s natural heritage while supporting community livelihoods. The initiative targets 31 counties across the Tsavo-to-Coastal landscape, focusing on ecosystem management, human-wildlife conflict mitigation, and the protection of water sources.

Key economic and environmental goals include the creation of 7,800 direct jobs and 15,000 indirect jobs. The programme is expected to directly benefit 1.6 million people, with an additional 3.9 million potentially gaining from improved land management and nature-based economic activities such as ecological tourism, sustainable grazing, and carbon projects. The initiative plans to place 2.7 million hectares under new conservation and enhance the management of 11 million hectares of existing protected areas.