Parliament and public participation in Kenya: The case of the wildlife conservation and management act 2013

Abstract

This chapter explores the role of Parliament in policy making through citizen engagement and public participation, drawing on experiences from the review and enactment of Kenya’s Wildlife Conservation and Management Act 2013. In 2013, problems in managing the wildlife sector in Kenya came to a head. The levels of poaching had been steadily escalating over the years and Kenya, together with Tanzania and Uganda, was being heavily criticised by the international community for not having stringent enough laws to curb the crimes. The 1989 Wildlife Amendment Bill established a parastatal organisation under the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, the Kenya Wildlife Service, to conserve and manage Kenya’s wildlife. The wildlife sector in Kenya is driven by strong ideological values which resulted in lot of noise coming through from social media and fake news with multiple emotional as well as science-based arguments.