About Kenya Wildlife Service

Aerial View of KWS Headquarters

The Kenya WildlifeService (KWS) conserves and manages Kenya’s wildlife for the Kenyan people and the world. It is a state corporation established by an Act of Parliament Cap 376 with the mandate to conserve and manage wildlife in Kenya, and to enforce related laws and regulations. The Barcode of Wildlife Project Kenya is a project under Kenya Wildlife Service and National Museums of Kenya.

KWS core Mission is “To sustainably conserve, manage, and enhance Kenya's wildlife, its habitats, and provide a wide range of public uses in collaboration with stakeholders for posterity” and a Vision "To save the last great species and places on earth for humanity”. 

The Organizational mandate is set as the sole Stewardship of all National Parks and Reserves, including security for visitors and wildlife within and outside protected areas. It oversees wildlife conservation and management outside protected areas, including those under local authorities, community and private sanctuaries. Other specifics include Conservation education and training, Wildlife research, and input into national wildlife-related law and policy, and adapting and carrying out international conventions and protocols.

KWS is key in tourism development and the governments Vision 2030. KWS is a key enabler and one of the key implementing agencies for Vision 2030 flagship projects. Tourism is the second largest sector of Kenya’s economy hence providing multiplier effects in agriculture, horticulture, transport and communications. Wildlife managed by KWS forms the backbone of Kenya’s tourism industry, since most visitors come above all to view wildlife. The tourism industry accounts for 21 per cent of total foreign exchange earnings and 12 per cent of GDP.  KWS accounts for 90 per cent of safari tourism and about 75 per cent of total tourist earnings. 

The Kenya Wildlife Service continues to strengthen the approach of science- driven wildlife conservation and management. These approaches include: monitoring of wildlife health through continuous disease surveillance and control; Genetic resources, Environmental assessments, Restoration of ecosystems,  Wildlife translocation, Bio-prospecting, Coordination of biodiversity related multi-lateral environmental agreements (MEAS), formation of the African Elephant Coalition and CITES convention, and among others Review of wildlife-related policy and legislation on land, tourism, fisheries, forest conservation, water and environmental management.

On Law Enforcement and Regulation to combat Wildlife Crime, KWS has put in place proactive, preventive and reactive measures to enhance the safety of wildlife; ground and aerial patrols targeting poachers and to provide security for wildlife, wildlife habitats and tourists. Building synergies with stakeholders to enhance the conservation and protection of the country’s natural resources has been a priority. These stakeholders include police, customs Kenya Airports Authority, Judiciary, Kenya Forest Service Officers, and Cross-border wildlife security collaborative initiatives.

About National Museums of Kenya

NMK Entrance

National Museums of Kenya (NMK) is a state corporation established by an Act of Parliament, the Museums and Heritage Act 2006. NMK is a multi-disciplinary institution whose role is to collect, preserve, study, document and present Kenya’s past and present cultural and natural heritage.  This is for the purposes of enhancing knowledge, appreciation, respect and sustainable utilization of these resources for the benefit of Kenya and the world, for now and posterity. NMK’s mutual concern for the welfare of mankind and the conservation of the biological diversity of the East African region and that of the entire planet demands success in such efforts.  NMK is also undertaking the Barcode of Wildlife Project Kenya with Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS).

 
In addition, NMK manages many Regional Museums, Sites and Monuments of national and international importance alongside priceless collections of Kenya’s living cultural and natural heritage. As an institution that must respond to the growing needs of the society, NMK is striving to contribute in a unique way to the task of national development.

The history of the institution dates back in 1910 when a museum was established in Nairobi by the then East Africa and Uganda Natural History Society [currently the East African Natural History Society (EANHS)]. The group consisted mainly of colonial settlers and naturalists who needed a place to keep and preserve their collections of various specimens. Its first site was at the present Nyayo House. The site soon became small and a larger building was put up in 1922 where the Nairobi Serena Hotel stands.

The expansion of its mandate and the staff numbers coupled with the dynamic environment in which NMK operates has put enormous challenges for the institution. In order to keep abreast with changes in the environment in which it is operating, NMK had to redefine its operations to become more responsive to the changing circumstances. This meant moving towards developing museum as a place where people from all walks of life meet and have dialogue on various socio-economic issues.  It called for NMK to develop programmes that promote cultural dynamism in order to build a sense of nationhood and belonging.

NMK’s vision is “To be a global leader in heritage, research and management’ with core Mission “To promote the conservation and sustainable utilization of national heritage through generation, documentation and dissemination of research and collection management knowledge, information and innovations”.

NMK houses one of the most unique and diverse collections in the world. The collections are categorized into two major areas that include Natural History and Cultural/History/Musicological.

Research: NMK undertakes research based on cultural and natural history in various fields as well as research in biomedical and bio- conservation in collaboration with other research and development institutions. For this reason, NMK has the mandate to preserve/ conserve all its collections which range from tangible to intangible, move and immovable, in-situ and ex-situ. NMK also synthesizes the information generated from research and collections and presents the same to the public for the purpose of raising awareness and learning amongst the general population through exhibitions, education programmes and other multimedia channels.