Kenya launches US$160 million, 10-year Thamani Asili conservation programme in 31 counties

Kenya launched the Thamani Asili Programme, a 10-year, US$160 million initiative to fund wildlife conservation, ecosystem protection and community development, at Tsavo West National Park in Taita Taveta County on 21 October 2026, Xinhua reported. Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano announced it.

The Government of Kenya has committed US$80 million. It is to be matched by US$80 million in philanthropic support mobilised through The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and its alliance partner, Enduring Earth. The programme covers 31 counties.

Thamani Asili means "value of nature" in Kiswahili, the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) reported. It is built on the Project Finance for Permanence model, a partnership between the government, TNC and Enduring Earth. The money will be run by a new body, the Thamani Asili Fund for Kenya, an independent conservation trust fund that will manage and disburse donor funding and track progress. Thamani Asili is the third such programme in Africa and the tenth supported by Enduring Earth.

Over the decade, the programme aims to establish about 2.7 million hectares of new conserved areas, improve management of 11 million hectares of existing conservation areas, and help communities better manage another 6 million hectares. These targets support Kenya's goal of bringing at least 30 per cent of its lands, inland waters and near-shore ecosystems under effective management.

About 1.6 million people are expected to benefit directly and 3.9 million more indirectly. The programme is expected to create about 7,800 direct jobs and 15,000 indirect jobs in ecotourism, sustainable grazing, carbon initiatives and other nature-based enterprises. It could help avoid about 7.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions by 2035.

Miano said the programme aims to move conservation away from short-term funding cycles towards predictable, long-term investment. Erustus Kanga, Director General of the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), said conservation must protect both wildlife and the livelihoods, cultures and heritage of the communities that live alongside it, and that it is about "protecting a way of life".

Ruth Masha, TNC's Country Director for Kenya, said in the organisation's release that "Thamani Asili strengthens community rights, voices and decision-making over land and resources, so people can conserve the places they depend on while also improving livelihoods".