Focus on wildlife protection, Uhuru urges international NGOs

President Uhuru Kenyatta has encouraged international Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) to focus on wildlife protection and training, especially in South Sudan and Somalia.

The President said wildlife conservation required concerted efforts and the more countries brought on board the better.

“True success in protecting wildlife must be achieved across borders,” President Kenyatta said.

The Head of State was speaking during a meeting with International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Azzedine Downes, who paid him a courtesy call at State House, Nairobi.

President Kenyatta said the Kenya Government has brought together organizations dealing with wildlife protection through the creation of the Kenya Conservation Alliance that has scaled up engagement with stakeholders.

“This organization is helping in focusing energies and resources on the protection of wildlife and communities around parks,” President Kenyatta said.

On his part, Mr. Downes assured President Kenyatta that IFAW will work with Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and other agencies to intensify training on protection in the region.

The IFAW Chief Executive Officer praised Kenya’s approach to conservation, saying it was the most focused in the region.

The meeting was also attended by Dr. Manu Chandaria and Environment, Water and Natural Resources Cabinet Secretary Prof. Judy Wakhungu.

Dr. Chandaria said his foundation was organizing communities around parks along the Nyumba Kumi model as a way of reducing human-wildlife conflicts and poaching.

He disclosed that his foundation has also given out 66 scholarships to different communities around parks to boost wildlife protection.