For years, women in Kenya's arid and semi-arid lands have played a critical but often overlooked role in conservation. Despite their deep connection to natural resource management, they have been excluded from decision-making due to entrenched cultural norms. But today, that is changing—especially across the Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT) landscape, where women are stepping into leadership roles and claiming space in governance.
Read MoreThe Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT) has long believed that strategic partnerships are key to building climate resilience and sustainable livelihoods across the remote landscapes of northern and coastal Kenya. On the 27th of May 2025, that belief was reaffirmed during the official launch of the Nature-Based Solutions, Water Access, and Renewable Energy Grant, funded by the Danish government through the Embassy of Denmark in Kenya.
Read MoreWhen Juliana Lengilili joined the BeadWORKS Ngutuk Women’s Group in 2015, she eagerly applied her lifelong love for beading in a new way. Beading was familiar to her; she had learned the craft from childhood, taught by her mother and friends under the shade of a tree. She appreciated beading for its beauty, tradition, and community pride. This marked her first opportunity to pick up her needle, thread, and beads not just for leisure but to use her skills to earn money.
Read MoreEmmanuel recently obtained a loan of KES 25,000 from Rangelands SACCO, with funding support from Fauna and Flora, under the Darwin Initiative through the Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT), to establish his business. He was among the 31 Ujuzi Manyattani graduates from four NRT member community conservancies — Shulmai, Maiyanat, Naibunga Upper and Il Ngwesi, who received KES 875,000 business startup funding, creating opportunities for diversified livelihoods.
Read MoreTeenage pregnancies, early marriages, and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) have created a devastating wave of girls' school dropouts in northern and coastal Kenya.
Read MoreThese interventions have facilitated rainwater harvesting and storage for domestic, farm and livestock use, reduced the community’s heavy reliance on Ngare Ndare Forest, and improved food security, in line with this year’s World Food Day theme: 'Right to Foods for a Better Life and a Better Future.'
Read MoreFrom nine northern-Kenya based conservancies at the onset, today, NRT is a 45-member umbrella organisation operating across northern and coastal Kenya and Uganda. Working together, indigenous communities in NRT member conservancies are conserving 15 endangered species, and an astonishing variety of wildlife across over 15 million acres of land.
Read MoreNRT is currently undergoing an internal restructuring of its senior management to improve the delivery and efficiency of its 30 Year Vision and Five Year Strategy, addressing the gaps and ensuring sustained growth.
Read MoreThe mentorship of young girls forms one component of a multipronged approach that NRT—with partners’ support— is taking to foster gender equality and social inclusion across northern and coastal Kenya. This approach has seen the two regions experience positive change over the last decade.
Read MoreToday, under NRT’s Artificial Coral Restoration Project, Mwanasha leads a team of 40 coral reef restoration experts who are plunging into the depths of the Indian Ocean to conduct surveys and restore damaged reefs using artificial coral structures.
Read MoreSince its inception in 2019, Ujuzi Manyattani has trained 962 young men and women in vocational skills, who contribute Ksh 97 million to the local economy each year. 96% of the Programme’s graduates are self-employed and own businesses, while the rest are apprentices or formally employed.
Read MoreWhile the water problem for the Tura and Tiamamut Communities in Naibunga Conservancy in Laikipia County had been resolved, in neighbouring Isiolo County, water scarcity persisted, in the Narasha and Parkuruk communities, who desperate for water, began crossing into Laikipia to draw water from the borehole, sparking conflict.
Read MoreBy offering vocational training in marketable skills, Mashinani WORKS’ Ujuzi Manyattani Programme promotes entrepreneurship and livelihood diversification, increasing indigenous communities’ resilience against climate change.
Read MoreOn multiple occasions, elephants had become stuck in the silt while attempting to drink from the water pan. 10 elephants had been safely rescued, thanks to the community’s quick responses.
Read MoreNRT, and the community members of Kalama Community Conservancy, are deeply saddened and devastated to report that on 14th January 2024, at 18:58 a fire was reported at the Kalama Resource Centre (KRC), 10km north of Archers Post in Samburu County.
Read MoreUjuzi Manyattani empowers youth and women in underprivileged communities in northern Kenya by training them on a wide range of vocational skills, including phone repair, hairdressing, and motorbike repair. The Program equips participants with skills and resources to start their own enterprises, making them self-sufficient and increasing their resilience.
Read MoreIn the NRT member conservancies in this region, indigenous communities are combatting climate change by rehabilitating degraded rangelands, charting a brighter future for all.
Read MoreThe coordination of these life-saving rescues is made possible by cutting-edge radio technology and NRT’s newly established Internet of Things (IoT) network, which creates a vast communication web that connects 22 NRT member community conservancies, with plans underway to bring more on board
Read MoreNRT member community conservancies are engaged in forestry activities aimed at terrestrial forests, which are vital water catchment areas with high biodiversity.
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