IL NGWESI GROUP RANCH

Background of Il Ngwesi

Il Ngwesi (meaning “People of Wildlife”) was one of the first community-led conservation initiatives established in northern Kenya. Although there was wildlife in the area and camel trek safaris were operated in the region, there was little economic activity for local communities and the area remained largely undeveloped. In 1995, with assistance from Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, the Il Ngwesi Eco Lodge was built which brought significant income to Group Ranch members who were actively promoting conservation. Il Ngwesi Group Ranch now serves as a model for successful community conservation efforts in northern Kenya and across Africa.

The vision for Il Ngwesi Group Ranch is to integrate community development and sustainable use of the environment. Underlying this is the mission to improve livelihoods by the generation of income through eco-friendly activities in order to conserve wildlife and its habitat, uphold the Maasai culture and develop the local community.

These aims have been achieved through a reduction in the over-dependence on livestock (thus reducing environmental degradation in the area), grazing management strategies, community development (through education, healthcare programmes, enterprise development, the water programme, infrastructure development) and the promotion of conservation-friendly tourism. Visits and exposure tours to Il Ngwesi Group Ranch have been used by NRT since its inception to demonstrate to communities across northern Kenya the value and potential conservation has to improve livelihoods.

Endangered Species Conservation

Il Ngwesi was historically home to numerous populations of black rhino; however, the population was severely depleted during the 1970s poaching epidemic. Group Ranch members realise the value of black rhinos for Il Ngwesi as a tourism destination and have thus set aside large amounts of land that make the reintroduction of black rhino to the Group Ranch a promising possibility. The first milestone was the translocation of an orphaned black rhino named Omni in 2002 from the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy to Il Ngwesi. Since then, Il Ngwesi has continued to make progress in the establishment of a rhino sanctuary in the Group Ranch.

Il Ngwesi is also home to the endangered Grevy’s zebra, elephant, buffalo, eland and the rare African wild dog.

Security and conservation efforts of the Group Ranch have resulted in rising numbers of wildlife within the Group Ranch. Community scouts provide critical security support to the “no man’s land” directly north of Lewa Wildlife Conservancy that has significant implications for the survival of Grevy’s zebra that migrate between Lewa and the government-run National Reserves of Samburu, Buffalo Springs and Shaba. Scouts are also instrumental in collecting data on wildlife trends through monitoring activities, resulting in accurate data base being developed for all animal sightings.

Business Development

In 1995, the Il Ngwesi Eco Lodge was established with the assistance of the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. Since then, the lodge has won many awards as a premier community ecotourism destination. The lodge is run by Il Ngwesi Company Ltd. and has generated other conservation-based enterprises such as the cultural boma (or village), camel safaris and camp sites. Each of these initiatives generates substantial income that supports community projects that are prioritised by Group Ranch members at Annual General Meetings. Thus far, income from tourism activities has paid for the construction of cattle dips, water projects, schools, education scholarships and health services.

Community Programmes

The proceeds from the Il Ngwesi Eco Lodge are used to fund community programmes which are of direct and significant benefit to the community. In brief, the programmes are as follows:

Education
Bursaries are awarded to students in universities, secondary schools and tertiary colleges. Education, especially of girls, is given high priority in Il Ngwesi, a situation that has reduced the rate of early marriages in Il Ngwesi communities. 
The Group Ranch also assists with primary schools, such as the building of teachers’ houses at the Sanga Primary School, or the sinking of the borehole for the benefit of the Enakishomi Primary School.

Health
Through the APHIA II Programme under Family Health International, we are providing HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis (TB), and reproductive health awareness and counselling at a grassroots level. The community is currently building a clinic at Nadungoro. The clinic is meant to help the community access medical services, as they currently have to travel 35 Kilometres to get to the nearest medical facility.

Enterprise development
In conjunction with Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO), the Group Ranch has initiated a four-year programme targeting women’s groups in craft making. The programme trains women in quality beadwork skills and enables access to micro-credit facilities to allow women to purchase raw materials for production. Training is also given in leadership and governance, business development and identifying markets for their products. Plans are also underway to establish a rural bank in the Il Ngwesi community with assistance from K-Rep. Small loans will be made available at low interest rates (e.g. 5%) for future business development activities and sustainable enterprises within the community. 

Water Programme
In 2008, through the kind support of Kansas City Zoo, Reid Park Zoo and NRT the Ngare Ndare pipeline which was destroyed in late 2006 was repaired. This has ensured enough water supplies in the lodge and for the animals. Also, communities now have enough water from a source at an accessible distance, thanks to the Sang’a water project, which was rehabilitated through the support of the Lewa Education Trust.

Infrastructure Development
Security staff housing that was badly in need of repair was renovated in 2008.Moreover, the community, using funds from tourism revenue, repaired all the roads within the Il Ngwesi conservation, thus ameliorating accessibility within the conservancy and reducing costs on fuel and vehicle maintenance.

The Future of Il Ngwesi

• Continue to support the establishment of a rhino sanctuary capable of housing a number of black rhinos in the Group Ranch
• Strengthen security operations within the Conservancy
• Continue technical input in terms of community development, research and monitoring
• Closure/establishment of the conservation area
• Strengthen tourism marketing strategies