New Kenya Wildlife Service Board Appointed
KWS. Tourism and Wildlife Secretary Najib Balala showed his critics why he remains the man to do the job in this portfolio, as only weeks after the disastrous relocation attempt of Eastern Black rhinos to Tsavo – which cost the lives of ten – he acted decisively and appointed one of the arguably most competent board of trustees the Kenya Wildlife Service ever had.
The previous board’s mandate had expired in April and was not renewed following a report commissioned by USAID and handed to the ministry, which back then was confidential, undertaken by PWC on the malpractices vis a vis corporate governance, transparency and creating double reporting lines benefitting the chairman at the time. The CS’s assertion about culpability is equally reflected in an article filed here a year ago and in hindsight one can only conclude that the Leakey led board should have been sacked there and then instead of letting them serve out their full term of office.
Ian Craig of Lewa Downs Conservancy fame and Jochen Zeitz of Segera Conservancy fame were appointed to the board through a Kenya Gazette Notice published late on Tuesday alongside Betty Maitoyo and Fred Omondi Ojiambo.
Suggestions in the local media that Craig and Zeitz would be biased against KWS for being involved in their own conservancy work were dismissed by those in the know as pure rubbish and an invention of a mischievous mind as their work on their conservancies had but one thing at the forefront of their minds, conservation, CONSERVATION and more CONSERVATION – something which is the core mandate of KWS.
The new board, and sooner hopefully rather than later a new Director General, will have the thankless task to restore internal order within KWS and regain the public confidence, which has largely eroded over the events of the past month. All the best to the new custodians of Kenya’s wildlife as they embark on a truly Herculean task
