The East African Wild Life Society (EAWLS) is implementing a project entitled “Advancing Consensus Building in Enactment and Implementation of a New Wildlife Law.” This project seeks to ensure that Kenya’s wildlife resources are sustainably managed as part of Kenya’s natural heritage, with economic, social and conservation benefits accruing at local as well as national levels.

The outputs of the project will be achieved through advocating to:

1. have a good wildlife legislation that supports and sustains a wildlife policy targeted at achieving the goal,
2. have wildlife legislation that recognizes the different management requirements of protected areas and wildlife/habitat existing outside protected areas,
3. have wildlife legislation that devolves wildlife management and benefits to land owners and users outside of protected areas with only the minimum of regulations required to achieve this objective,
4. create better understanding among stakeholders on wildlife issues, Wildlife Bill and trade-offs, and
5. promote and facilitate stakeholder discussions and recommendations in regard to wildlife policy, legislation and management development, monitoring and reform.

Specific objectives:

• To facilitate and engage policy makers at Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife, Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), cabinet, parliamentary committee on land, agriculture and natural resources, and members of parliament in dialogue that will ensure that the best possible Wildlife Bill  is approved by cabinet and parliament.
• To engage the media in a manner that will motivate and persuade policy makers in government to adopt and legislate a good Wildlife law in Kenya.

The project was formulated to take advantage of a somewhat improved policy environment which has seen the formulation of a Wildlife Policy with wide support and consensus hence the need to enhance its implementation with a consistent Wildlife Bill. The project was also formulated to ensure as much as possible that the

Wildlife Bill is good legislation in terms of the following characteristics;

• the text is simple and easily understood,
• the text is accurately and clearly drafted, the text is unambiguous and not open to prescription by intention,
• the content is clearly divided into principal and subsidiary legislation,
• illegal activities are clearly enunciated,
• there is real devolution in terms of decision making and reaping benefits outside of protected areas,
• regulations are kept to the minimum required, there is real connection to international obligations, and best practices are incorporated.

To achieve these, a Kenya Wildlife Conservation Forum (KWCF)  was  formed and under the leadership of EAWLS apply the following strategies;

• facilitate dialogue among stakeholders and the drafting team to push for parliamentary approval of the Wildlife Policy
• have an improved version of the Wildlife Bill and secure its parliamentary approval
• monitor and facilitate sound implementation of the Wildlife Act beyond the project’s timescale once the project objectives are achieved.

Achievements so far

Formation of the Conservation Working Group (CWG)

Under this project, a CWG was formed and officially christened the Kenya Wildlife Conservation Forum (KWCF). It was agreed that the Forum will be holding monthly meetings on the first Thursday of every month. The Forum’s secretariat will be at the EAWLS office. The Terms of Reference (ToRs) and the Modus Operandi for the Forum were defined and agreed upon.

Review of the Wildlife Bill

The following meetings were held in April and May 2010 to review the Wildlife Bill:

• A meeting was held between EAWLS with the Permanent Secretary (PS) and the Conservation Secretary (CS) in the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife on 13th April 2010. This meeting  was held for two main reasons: to review the Wildlife Policy and Bill and to have a broad discussion on the forestry sector reforms.
• A meeting  was held between EAWLS, the Institute for Law and Environmental Governance (ILEG), the Laikipia Wildlife Forum (LWF) and community representatives on 16th April 2010. Based on this meeting, EAWLS  prepared  joint comments on the Wildlife Bill. The comments were presented to the Conservation Secretary (CS) and Ministry Policy Adviser on 20th April.
• Using the input agreed upon on 20th April, EAWLS prepared a 13 page report on the Wildlife Bill.
• The EAWLS  met the CS and the Policy Adviser on May 4th to go through the report together.

Wildlife Bill monitoring and advocacy

It has been confirmed that the draft bill is currently in the office of the Permanent Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife. It has also been confirmed that the 13-page report with recommendations from the EAWLS submitted in June has been accepted and incorporated in the draft bill. Since the EAWLS was appointed to be a member of the internal assessment team that is reviewing the draft, it has become easier to monitor the progress of the draft bill.
Partners’ and stakeholders’ meetings on the Wildlife Bill

The following meetings have been held:

• A meeting  was held between EAWLS, ILEG, LWF and community representatives on 16th April 2010. Based on this meeting, EAWLS  prepared  joint comments on the Wildlife Bill. The comments were presented to Conservation Secretary (CS) and Ministry Policy Adviser on 20th April.
• A partners’ meeting was held in the EAWLS’ board room on 9th July 2010 while monthly meetings are held on the first Thursday of every month since September 2010.

Key achievements

The main achievements made by the project to date include:

• The adoption of a 13-page report with recommendations on the bill prepared by the internal assessment team to the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife
• Inclusion of EAWLS as one of the  Civil Society Organization (CSO) in the internal assessment team of the bill. Other members of this internal assessment team are Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), Kenya Forestry Service (KFS), Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife Policy Adviser; and Conservation Secretary
• Inauguration of the Kenya Wildlife Conservation Forum (KWCF)
• Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife and EAWLS re-engagement on the Wildlife Bill and Wildlife Policy. KWCF/EAWLS  involvement in the harmonization of the Wildlife Bill and Policy with the  constitution at a workshop in Naivasha on 11-12th November 2010.