July 2025

GENERAL

The first three weeks of July was overcast, with showers and thunderstorms in the evening.  Although we did not receive much rain, it was sufficient to keep the grass too green to burn and the wildebeest from coming into the Triangle.  However, the last week was hot and sunny, and the wildebeest started pouring in.

President William Ruto visited the Main Reserve on the 24ᵗʰ, he did an interview with Chinese Television before going on a game drive.

We held a planning team meeting with the County lawyer Mr A. Meingati, on the 25ᵗʰ to start developing a new set of By-laws and Code of Conduct for drivers and guides.  We hope to have a draft ready for review within a month.

A celebration for World Rangers’ Day was held on the 31ˢᵗ near the Mara River, below Serena.  Governor P Ntutu attended with senior County officials, rangers from the conservancies, the Mara Elephant Project (MEP) and the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS).  We had over 300 people attend the function that ended at around 5.00 pm. 

COLABORATION AGREEMENT

We held a planning meeting on the 14ᵗʰ to discuss priorities for the coming quarter.  We have prioritized renovating housing at Ol Kiombo, renovating housing at Talek and the construction of a small ranger post at the Ngama Hills.

We completed road works in the Musiara area before returning to Keekorok and the roads to Sand River, Mara Bridge and Talek.

We have completed the revenue/wardens’ office at Ol Kiombo.  The airlines briefly closed the runway citing too many stones.  Ol Kiombo and Keekorok airstrips were never designed to cater for the huge volume and size of traffic in high season.  There are a number of 30–50-seater aircraft landing daily,

We have started renovating the toilets at Sekenani and have hired 10 temporary toilets to serve as we renovate the ones at the gate.  We had to empty the septic tank; it took 18 x 12-ton truck loads to empty it. 

The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (SWT) has donated two Suzuki Jimnys to the Main Reserve to help in anti-harassment.  These were handed over on the 25ᵗʰ.

STAFF

Mr John Tanui from 51° has spent time in the Triangle, assisting us to develop procedures for the Operations Room and train radio controllers.  John will be in the Mara for a few months.

The Mara Triangle was selected as the venue for World Rangers day on the 31ˢᵗ.  We paid for rehearsals for 48 people for six days at the Research Centre near Sekenani.

Three of our senior staff attended a two-day workshop held by the Federation of Kenyan Employers (FKE).

WILDLIFE

The wildebeest started moving into the Mara on the 6ᵗʰ, crossing Sand River between Salas and the K&D camp.  Within a few days there were thousands of wildebeests and zebra moving North towards Talek.  Animals that tried to cross Sand River in a traditional crossing point were deterred by the new Ritz-Carlton Lodge and moved further upstream.  It will be interesting to see, but it took a while for the animals to head towards Look Out, as they would normally do.  This may have a significant impact on the number of crossings on the Mara River.  We had our first crossing into the Triangle on the 25ᵗʰ , with small herds crossing at the U crossing.  This was followed by three days of huge crossings.  Many of the wildebeest headed back into Tanzania but by the 30ᵗʰ we are now seeing animals begin to move into the Triangle.

The table and map below show the extent of poaching and human/wildlife conflict in the area adjoining the Triangle.  This will not reduce, as the level of de-afforestation is increasing in favour of agriculture, especially sugar cane farming.

 Source: The Pangolin Project. 

The Pangolin Project is the best chance we have for protecting much of the remaining forest and it’s unique flora and fauna.  They now have approximately 2,880 Ha (more than 7,000 acres) leased for forest and pangolin conservation and need all the support that we can give.

The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) gave out in excess of Ksh 60 million against compensation claims.

TOURISM

The high season nightmare has begun head on collisions, overcrowding at sightings, willful breaking of Park Rules and rude drivers.  A female Grant’s gazelle was killed by a speeding vehicle on the 16ᵗʰ.  A video of misbehavior at a crossing near Kogatende went viral, causing a great deal of debate and hopefully a change in behaviour and more control at crossings.  So far there are a number of compliments on social media about the improvement in tourism management.

SECURITY

A total of 22 poachers were arrested during the month, all but one of them South of the River in the Northern Serengeti.  Nearly 30 wildebeest and a number of Thompson’s gazelle were known to have been killed.

Five poachers were arrested in the Northern Serengeti on the 1st in the Duma area of the Northern Serengeti.  Two people were arrested near Itaro ar 5.00 pm.  That evening the rangers set an ambush and managed to arrest three more people from a group of five; they had killed four wildebeest.

The rangers joined forces with their TANAPA counterparts from Tabora B and returned for an extended patrol on the 8th.  They managed to arrest three more people in the Bologonja area.  The patrol found where at least 20 wildebeest had been butchered and were able to arrest two people in the afternoon.  They set an ambush and managed to arrest one person who was transporting dried meat with two donkeys.

The rangers joined forces with their Tanzanian counterparts from Machechwe and returned on an extended patrol on the 15ᵗʰ.  They managed to arrest two people the first night in the Ngira area of the Northern Serengeti, the following morning early, they arrested one more person.  They continued with their patrol and managed to arrest one person the following day, and three more that night.  Three more people were arrested on the 17ᵗʰ, two escaped.  Each of the five was carrying a wildebeest that they had killed.  Three more people were arrested that night – bringing the total for this one operation to 13.  All these poachers were hunting wildebeest with machetes, they cut an animal’s spine as the animals mass along a small ravine, or the River.  In this situation the animals are easy to approach and one slash along the spine immobilises them.  The poachers then return and butcher them in their own time.

One person was arrested on the 22ⁿᵈ as he and four companions were hunting Thompson’s gazelle, they had killed several gazelle.

REVENUE & ACCOUNTS

Our management accounts for the financial year ending June 30ᵗʰ are summarized below.  The total revenue for  the year was Ksh 1.755 billion (nearly US$ 14 million).  Our share of revenue for the year was Ksh 789,634,078 (US$ 6.17 million),   Our recurrent expenditure was Ksh 656,752,247, giving us an operating surplus of Ksh 122,047,247 – after deducting direct costs such as the KAPS commission on revenue collection. 

We will begin our Annual Audit in August and don’t expect any significant variation on these figures.

Tourist numbers for June were well up on previous years (Non-residents 8,076 vs 6,233 in 2024, and 7,096 in 2023), largely as a result of people trying to take advantage of the lower rates before the high season increase in July.  However, July figures seem to be lower than last year, this isn’t only in the Mara but appears to be the same across Kenya.

 REPORT ON FOCUS FOR JUNE 2025

We have received 30 vehicle trackers from 51° and installed some in our anti-harassment vehicles as a test.  The gateway at Lone Tree was down and this gave us a blind spot in much of the area along the border.  We will now install trackers in resident vehicles and have approval from the owners of Mara Siria, Mara Engai and Wildeye.

We completed work on the road to Kilo 2 and moved the team towards Oloololo.  They have completed resurfacing and repairing the roads in that area.

The picnic site at Mara Bridge is virtually complete, hopefully this will stop visitors from picnicking in the gate house.  We are modifying the engine room at the gate house to a Wardens’ office.

We received our new roller and are working on the two new Land Cruisers.  One has been collected and the other should be ready for collection in early August. 

We have fitted a new Flir camera to one of the new Land Cruisers.

We have completed cutting grass tracks and also cleared a site for the Worls Ranger Day celebrations.  The equipment has now started cutting tracks in the Main Reserve.

We purchase equipment to remove and repair tyres, this will significantly reduce puncture repair time and hopefully reduce damage to tyre beading.

We constructed a concrete drift over the BBC Lugga on the lower road to Mara Bridge.

FOCUS FOR AUGUST 2025

  • Hold Board meeting on the 15ᵗʰ.

  • Complete picnic site at Mara Bridge;

  • Start on Wardens’ office at Mara Bridge;

  • Start renovating offices at Iseiya;

  • Sign lease with Wildeye;

  • Complete tyre store and puncture repair area;

  • Install vehicle trackers in resident vehicles;

  • Repair gateway at Lone Tree.

 

Work on Collaboration Agreement

  • Continue with training at Conservation Centre;

  • Send road team off for a break;

  • Return one New Holland grader to the County;

  • Maintain roads;

  • Work on toilets at Sekenani;

  • Start renovating houses at Talek;

  • Complete furnishing VIP Cottage at Sand River;

  • Renovate housing at Ol Kiombo;

  • Possibly drill borehole at Ngama Hills;

  • Continue to provide fuel to Grade A.