State to spend Sh622m on major wildlife migration corridor

Dozens of wild animals from Nairobi National Park could soon roam freely across the Namanga Highway to the Athi-Kapiti plains in Machakos County, as the government is planning a major wildlife migration corridor.

The project aims to open up vital dispersal areas for the animals that are currently confined within the increasingly isolated park.

The park is under increasing pressure due to rapid infrastructure development, human settlements and fencing, all of which have led to an escalation in human-wildlife conflict.

According to a report by a nine-member task force led by Dr Helen Gichohi, the plan to link Nairobi National Park with the Athi-Kapiti plains was submitted to the then Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife, Najib Balala, in July 2021.

Sh622.5 million

Nation has obtained a copy of the report, which estimates the project's cost at Sh622.5 million.

This includes Sh550 million for a wildlife overpass on Namanga Road, Sh50 million for an underpass on Viwandani Road within the Export Processing Zone (EPZ), and Sh22.5 million for fencing approximately 15 kilometres of the corridor.

The task force also warned that project costs could rise due to the need to compensate government institutions and businesses within the EPZ that may be displaced by the boundary fences.

The task force proposed cancelling some leases or relocating investors to create room for the corridor — moves that would attract compensation.

In order to ease the burden on taxpayers, the task force also advised the government to seek support from development partners and conservation NGOs.

The proposed 100-metre-wide corridor begins at the southeastern edge of Nairobi National Park, passing through the controversial former sheep and goat land and a Kenya Pipeline Corporation (KPC) wayleave.

 It then continues through land owned by East African Portland Cement (EAPC) to the border with EPZ land to the west of Namanga Road. An overpass will enable wild animals to cross the highway safely.

The corridor then extends through the EPZ, crosses the metre-gauge railway line, and re-enters EAPC land before reaching the Kapiti plains.

Swara Conservancy

As it connects with the Swara Conservancy, the corridor will widen to 200 metres towards its end.

In an interview with Nation on April 26, 2025, the Principal Secretary for Wildlife, Silvia Museiya, said that the project had the backing of President Ruto and was awaiting Cabinet approval.

'Nairobi National Park is increasingly cut off by human settlements and infrastructure. If we don't act, it risks becoming a national zoo. The Ministry is optimistic that this corridor will eventually connect to the Amboseli ecosystem,' she said.

Covering 117 square kilometres, Nairobi National Park is one of the few national parks in the world located within a capital city.

 It was gazetted in 1946 as Kenya’s first national park under the colonial National Parks Ordinance.

The Kapiti Plains, which form part of the wider Athi-Kapiti ecosystem, span 13,000 hectares owned by the International Livestock Research Institute.

 This essential wildlife dispersal area supports animals such as zebras, giraffes, elands, wildebeests, lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, impalas, warthogs and various gazelle species.

Compensation 

‘We have developed a budget for the 2025/26 financial year. Although we are not focusing on compensation, we do require resources to relocate certain machinery and structures within the EPZ," said PS Museiya.

The PS spoke in Empakasi village in Athi River sub-County, where compensation cheques were issued to indigenous landowners under a lease programme run by a non-state wildlife foundation.

Tourism remains a key revenue generator for Kenya.  In 2024, the sector generated Sh460 billion, up from Sh 352.5 billion in 2023.

According to the Director General of the Kenya Wildlife Service, Dr Erastus Kanga, around 75 per cent of this revenue was wildlife-based.

"Most tourists come to see our national heritage: wildlife. Out of last year's Sh460 billion in tourism revenue, Sh345 billion was earned from wildlife tourism," said Dr Kanga during a recent event in Kajiado.