Background: Before the Mara Conservancy

 
By the end of the 1990s the infrastructure, equipment and roads in the Mara Triangle were absent or decayed. There were no operational vehicles, staff morale was extremely low, revenue was not being efficiently collected and poaching was out of control. The buildings situated at the Head Quarters at Serena, Oloololo Gate, and outposts at Mara Bridge and Ngiro-Are had all the doors, windows and ceilings broken or collapsed. There was no running water nor functioning sanitation.

The main road network which had been constructed in the 1980s had hardly been touched for many years. The main road between Oloololo Gate and Mara Serena had all but disappeared in places and was never used. The road along the river between Mara Serena and Mara Bridge had not been used for years, as was the case with the roads to Ngiro-Are. There was no control on off-road driving, which had lead to a proliferation of tracks in the central part of the reserve.

Staff were often not paid for months at a time and only one third of the staff compliment was present at any one time, the remainder stayed at home for extended periods.

There were several private sets of park entrance tickets and recognised revenue was approximately 20% of the potential for the Reserve.

Only one third of the Mara Triangle was considered secure, with the remainder unvisited by security staff and tourists. In these areas poaching and illegal grazing were out of control, with thousands of animals being killed annually. Cattle theft along the escarpment was also a frequent occurrence.