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DevNews Desk| East Africa. Urge- DevWire
Kenya launches US$160 million Thamani Asili programme to protect biodiversity and support communities
The Government of Kenya, working with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and Enduring Earth, launched the Thamani Asili programme on 21 October at Tsavo West National Park. The US$160 million, 10 year initiative uses the Project Finance for Permanence model, which ties long term funding to agreed government policy commitments. Thamani Asili means value of nature in Kiswahili.
The financing combines US$80 million in philanthropic support mobilised through TNC and Enduring Earth with a matching US$80 million from the Government of Kenya over 10 years. Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife Rebecca Miano said the model moves conservation away from short term funding cycles towards predictable investment, institutional accountability and measurable results.
The programme aims to conserve about 17.3 million hectares, or 173,000 square kilometres, over the decade. This includes 2.7 million hectares of new conserved areas, improved management of 11 million hectares of existing areas, and community management of a further six million hectares. It supports Kenya's goal of conserving 30 percent of its land, inland waters and near shore ecosystems, and is expected to avoid about 7.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions by 2035. TNC describes it as the third such programme in Africa. According to Reuters, it will initially focus on four landscapes, including Tsavo and the Maasai Mara ecosystem that connects to Tanzania's Serengeti.
The economic context is significant. A recent UN Environment Programme report cited past government estimates that around 42 percent of Kenya's gross domestic product and 70 percent of employment depend on nature in some form.
Delivery will depend on whether funds reach priority landscapes, whether policy commitments are implemented, and how communities take part in conservation decisions. The wider question for development finance is whether long term funding can produce measurable ecological gains alongside tangible benefits for the people who depend on these ecosystems.
Sources: Government of Kenya and The Nature Conservancy launch release, 21 October 2026
DevNews Desk| East Africa. Urge- DevWire
21 October 2026 · Taita Taveta County, Kenya
Pixel Photo by Athuman Komora Garisse
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