Principal Secretary - State Department for Wildlife; Ministry of Tourism & Wildlife of the Republic of Kenya
Nairobi, Kenya
Joined December 2022
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Silvia Museiya, CBS retweeted
When Keisha Lance Bottoms was 8, she used to come home from school and find her father making dinner. Major Lance was a soul singer who sung “The Monkey Time” and opened for the Beatles.
One afternoon, Keisha found police officers in the house. Her father was in handcuffs. “Babies, it’s going to be OK,” he told his children as the officers took him away. “I will be back.” The police told Keisha to sit on the sofa, and she was so afraid of getting in trouble that she stayed there until her mother came home.
Her parents divorced while her father was in prison. Her mother, Sylvia, worked several jobs, and the ballet lessons Keisha had taken were suddenly more than the family could afford. When Keisha talked about her daddy in those years, she kept it simple. Her dad was living in Columbus, she would say. Then he was living in Jackson, or Eatonton. Those were the towns where he was being held.
Isitoshe,
Major Lance died suddenly at 55, the year his daughter finished law school. She was 24 and thought 55 sounded old. As she approached that age herself, with four children of her own, it struck her how young he had been. She knew what it was to come home one day and find your father being taken away. Now she thought about her children waking up one morning and finding her gone.
Becoming their mother had taken years. Keisha had severe fibroids, went through failed rounds of IVF and underwent what she remembers as more than a dozen surgeries, including a partial hysterectomy. When her husband, Derek, suggested adoption, she worried that saying yes meant she had given up on what she had been asking God for. They went ahead with the interviews, the home visits and the paperwork. Then, in 2002, while they were away on a cruise, word came that a six-month-old boy was available for adoption.
Sylvia spoke to the caseworker. “Hold that baby!” she writes in her book. Keisha and Derek brought Lance home. In time, they adopted Langston and then the twins, Lennox and Lincoln.
Yesterday, Georgia elected Keisha Lance Bottoms governor. She became the first Black woman elected to lead a U.S. state.
source: Rough side of the mountain.
Representing the Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife,I appeared before the Senate Committee on Delegated Legislation, chaired by Senator Mwenda Gataya,to deliberate on the development, review and publication of regulations under the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife.
The engagement focused on outstanding regulatory frameworks required to operationalise the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act, Cap. 376, including regulations on access and benefit sharing, access to national parks for livestock grazing and watering during drought and other natural disasters, wildlife user rights, and enhanced community participation in wildlife conservation and management.
I assured the Committee of our commitment to working collaboratively with relevant stakeholders to address the outstanding regulatory gaps, particularly in advancing the development and review of park regulations to strengthen the governance and management of our protected areas.
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Hosted a meeting with representatives from Bayer Foundation and Pula Advisors to discuss opportunities for collaboration in addressing Human-Wildlife Conflict (HWC).
I provided an overview of the HWC menace in Kenya, highlighting its impact on communities, livelihoods, and conservation efforts. We discussed how wildlife incursions into farmlands affect small scale farmers through crop destruction, loss of income, and threats to household food security, undermining agricultural productivity and the resilience of rural communities.
I acknowledged the role played by Pula Advisors as the lead administrator of the Wildlife Compensation Fund in making the compensation process faster, more transparent, and responsive to the needs of affected communities.
We agreed to explore areas of collaboration between the State Department for Wildlife, Bayer Foundation, and Pula Advisors, with a view to strengthening human-wildlife coexistence, supporting affected farming communities, and promoting sustainable livelihoods alongside wildlife conservation. @BayerFoundation
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Today, I officially opened the Conservation Conversations Roundtable, convened by the Conservation Alliance of Kenya (CAK), providing an important platform for dialogue, collaboration and collective action towards strengthening Kenya’s conservation sector.
I reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to supporting collaborative initiatives that strengthen the legal, policy and institutional frameworks for sustainable natural resource management. I emphasized that communities must remain at the centre of conservation, as they are the true custodians of our natural capital. Their voices, indigenous knowledge and lived experiences are essential in shaping inclusive, people-centred conservation approaches.
I was joined by Dr. Patrick Omondi, CEO of the Wildlife Research and Training Institute (WRTI), senior officials from the State Departments responsible for Wildlife, Forestry, Water and Sanitation, Lands and Physical Planning, and Environment and Climate Change, alongside conservation partners, conservation stakeholders as well as representatives of Community Forest Associations. @WRTIKenya
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Silvia Museiya, CBS retweeted
Kenya’s envoy to Pakistan, Lt. Gen. (Rtd) Peter Mbogo Njiru, is using a photo exhibition to pitch Kenya’s wildlife to a nation already hooked on its tea.
Having earlier launched a "Kenya Tea Day" in Lahore, he’s now upgrading the pitch from the teacup to the savannah.
Graced the high-level discussions and networking sessions during the official launch of the five priority natural capital accounts in Kenya after the finalization of the compilation of estimates and technical reports by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) alongside key stakeholders across the environmental and economic sectors.
Developed under the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA) framework and guided by extensive multi-agency consultations, these five accounts; Water, Energy, Land, Forest and Ecosystem will provide vital baseline data bridging environmental conservation with macroeconomic planning.
I appealed to statisticians, scientists and policy markers present to align the findings to the aspirations of the Ecosystem-based Natural Resource Management Integrated Policy which is at its finalization stage in order to strengthen multi-sectoral collaboration and coordination.
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Accompanied Cabinet Secretary, Hon. Rebecca Miano, EGH as she officiated the national launch of the Thamani Asili Programme today at Tsavo West National Park. Present were Governors; Andrew Mwadime, Patrick Keturet Ole Ntutu and Muthomi Njuki; former United States Ambassador to Kenya, Meg Whitman, Director General - Kenya Wildlife Service, conservation partners and stakeholders and the local political leadership as well as esteemed community members from Taita Taveta, Makueni and Kajiado Counties.
Thamani Asili under the tagline "Our Land Our Wealth" is a conservation programme aimed at unlocking sustainable financing, protecting Kenya's natural heritage and seeing to it that benefits from conservation trickle down to communities living alongside wildlife.
While speaking before the gathering, I emphasized that benefits ought to flow down to communities for the realization of the aspirations of this programme. I stressed on the fact that communities can prosper living with wildlife side by side as long as there is meaningful benefits to spur coexistence.
I appreciated The Nature Conservancy in Africa for the partnership with the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife while lauding the Council of Governors for the close cooperation and collaboration with the Ministry in advancing community interests.
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Joined H.E. President @WilliamsRuto for the Mashujaa Day 2026 Celebrations co-hosted by Uasin Gishu, Nandi and Elgeyo Marakwet Counties at the Kipchoge Keino Stadium, Eldoret City.
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Together with Mr. Jonathan Mueke, colleague Principal Secretary for Livestock Development, and accompanied by Dr. Patrick Omondi, CEO of the Wildlife Research & Training Institute, we joined the Board and management of the Northern Rangelands Trust for an evening occasion to celebrate communities and their impact on conservation. Present were esteemed representatives of the communities, National & County Government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, development partners and conservation stakeholders.
The occasion provided an opportunity to celebrate achievements in community-led conservation and development. It was also a platform to reflect on lessons learned over the past 22 years and to explore opportunities for future collaboration in support of Kenya's people, wildlife and landscapes.
The State Department for Wildlife places great emphasis on partnerships and collaboration as key drivers of conservation success across Kenya.
Later joined colleague Principal Secretaries under the Environment, Water and Natural Resources sector for the public sector hearings for the FY 2027/28 budget and medium-term where members of the public had an opportunity to present their views on the proposed budget priorities.
Anchored in the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), Kenya Vision 2030 and the Fourth Medium-Term Plan (MTP IV), the 2027/28 Medium-Term Expenditure and Budget framework focuses on economic stabilisation, expenditure control and reducing the budget deficit.
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The 2nd National Development Implementation Committee (NDIC) meeting of 2026 convened today at the Kenya School of Government, Nairobi under the chairmanship of Hon. @MusaliaMudavadi Prime Cabinet Secretary. Present were Mr. @koske_felix, Chief of Staff and Head of the Public Service and H.E. @SakajaJohnson, Governor - Nairobi City County.
The meeting attended by Principal Secretaries sought to track, evaluate, and accelerate the execution of national priority programs and flagship projects under President Ruto's administration. The high-level meeting also focused on the national preparedness for the anticipated El nino rains.
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Later joined colleague Principal Secretaries for the ongoing National Agricultural and Food System Transformation Summit in Nairobi where H.E. Prof. @_KithureKindiki was the Chief Guest.
The three days summit seeks to provide a high-level platform for dialogue, collaboration and exchange of ideas on key policy, investment, innovation and institutional priorities for transforming Kenya's agricultural and food systems.
The link between wildlife conservation and agricultural and food systems is a profound, two-way relationship. Agriculture cannot function in a vacuum. It relies heavily on the ecosystem services provided by fauna and flora.
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Accompanied by Hon. Joseph Lagat, Chairperson @KWSKenya Board of Trustees and together with colleague Principal Secretary for Tourism, Amb. Prof. Julius Bitok, we joined @rebecca_miano, Cabinet Secretary, @Min_TourismKE as she presided over the official opening ceremony of the Magical Kenya Travel Expo (MKTE) 2026 at the Uhuru Gardens today. CS Miano was as well joined by her Uganda counterpart Hon. Susan Nakawuki, Minister of Tourism, Wildlife & Antiquities.
The State Department for Wildlife and its Agencies continues to foster stronger partnerships year in, year out with tourism players both in the public and private sectors since the wildlife resource is inarguably the biggest driver of tourism in the country. Our position as a state department has always been that benefits accrued from conservation and tourism should trickle down to communities who co-exist with wildlife and who diversify the tourism offering through their unique cultures.
Hearty congratulations to @magicalkenya for connecting suppliers, buyers, investors and industry partners while creating new markets and strengthening collaborations. This year's expo under the theme: Digital Transformation and Artificial Intelligence: Shaping the Future of Tourism was attended by Chairpersons and CEOs drawn from both the public and private sectors.
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