Samburu eco-warrior, Tom Lalampaa, strikes a first with Sh10 million reward for effort

Tom Lalampaa addresses Samburu Morans and craftswomen at Kalama Conservancy last week. Lalampaa, who grew up as a pastoralist, will mount the stage at Stanford University in California to receive the coveted Bright Award. (PHOTO: EDWARD KIPLIMO/ STANDARD)

A man from Samburu will today become the first African to receive an award worth Sh10 million from a top US university for his conservation efforts.

Tom Lalampaa, who grew up as a pastoralist, will mount the stage at Stanford University in California to receive the coveted Bright Award.

Mr Lalampaa will give a keynote address at the university as he receives the award for his unique approaches in environmental conservation.

His work has enabled poor pastoralists to conserve the environment in northern Kenya in ways that also improve their livelihoods.

Lalampaa was born in Naisunyai village, part of what is now the West Gate Community Conservancy in Samburu County.

He is a son of a Samburu herder and was lucky to attend school.

“In the mid-eighties, the Government started putting a lot of pressure on parents to send their children to school... One day, my father came home from one of those meetings and when the cattle had come in, he called my elder brother and told us about it,” he says.

His father decided one of them would go to school and the other one would remain at home to tend to the livestock.

“My elder brother was told to choose what he wanted and he chose to stay home, so I was taken to school,” he says.

Nomadic life

He lived a typical nomadic life, having to look after the family livestock during holidays from boarding school. He even participated in cattle rustling, fought off preying lions and cheetahs while herding, became a moran and went through all the rituals of a Samburu man and became an elder recently.

Today, he holds a BA in Social Work. After his first degree, his  community raised money for him to do his master’s, one of which is in Project Planning and Management and an MBA in Strategic Management at the University of Nairobi. He is now working on his PhD.

He went back home to work with the community in 2004, pioneering various innovative conservation efforts that integrate biodiversity conservation with improved development.

He works as the Chief Programmes Officer of the Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT), an organisation started in 2004 to develop community-owned conservancies that transform lives, secure peace and conserve natural resources.

"Tom has a unique perspective because he's not just an academic or an activist, he's also lived that life on the line where animals and people interact," said Charles Oluchina, Director of Field Programmes in Africa for The Nature Conservancy, which is the principle funder of NRT. "He brings that experience as well as having an easy personality, sharp critical thinking, patience, humility, and even a sort of soft approach."

Instead of pastoralists having to travel hundreds of kilometres to sell cows to middlemen, NRT requires them to adhere to certain grazing management plans, environmental and wildlife conservation efforts, security and other standards.

If met, the organisation provides a ready market for them with a certain amount contributed to the conservancy for development. For example, if NRT buys a cow for Sh50,000, the seller receives Sh49,000 with Sh1,000 going to the conservancy to support education and healthcare. The same model applies for women doing beadwork.