Kitirua conservancy covers an area of approximately 161.8km2 in the Northwest of
Amboseli National Park. It is part of the Olgulului-Oloarrashi Group Ranch (OOGR) and
is the oldest Conservancy in the greater Amboseli Ecosystem. It was established by the
Group Ranch leadership in partnership with tourism investors Ker Downey and Cheli &
Peacock (now Elewana Collection) and the Amboseli Conservation Programme as a
concession area in 1984, it forms an integral corridor for herbivores and carnivores
migrating from Amboseli National Park through Enduiment Wildlife Management
Areas into Kilimanjaro National Park.
To manage land use conflict between parties sharing the area, the conservancy has
been divided into three zones; Core conservation, Livestock grazing, and Tourism
conservation areas. A combination of Pastoralism and wildlife tourism provides a
double source of income to the land owners of the conservancy. The conservancy is a
dry season grazing area for livestock. Grazing in the conservancy is managed through
a set of grazing by laws that are implemented by the grazing committee. The
committee meets to discuss when to open the conservancy grazing blocks on a
quarterly basis though subject to pasture availability which in turn depends on rainfall
patterns.
Group ranch members benefit from lease fees through Tourism investment by Ker &
Downey and Elewana Collection. The tourism income generated by conservancy
tourism investment mainly support the following; conservancy management to meet
operation costs; salaries for rangers and manager, food rations, equipment, security
patrols and surveillance. The income also supports community projects such as
borehole construction, fuel for borehole generator, servicing, repairs, and school
bursaries.
Covid-19 pandemic outbreak has resulted to the collapse of the tourism industry which
was the main source of income to a large number of community members through
direct employment and selling of beads by women to tourist visiting the conservancy.
This unprecedented calamity presented unique challenges to both wildlife and people
sharing same resources for a livelihood. People lost their jobs and therefore resulting
to food insecurity. Due to a scale down of operations in the conservancy, there has
been an increase in human wildlife conflicts like; poisoning of predators when they kill
livestock along the border, damage to community boreholes by elephants in such of
water.