In the past ten years, Il Ngwesi has been transformed from a remote area rife with insecurity and wildlife poaching to a leading community tourism project that has become a model for others to follow- attracting international interest, celebrity guests, successful business and the return of wildlife…

Guests staying at the community owned and managed Il Ngwesi lodge in Northern Kenya, have plenty of activities available to them- game drives and walks, visits to local villages and schools, or tracking rhinos in the adjacent conservancy. Many choose to take a guided hike high into the Mukogodo forest that fringes the escarpment that towers above the lodge.

For their local guides, it’s an easy climb, and one they know very well. Because just a decade ago, the forest was their home, and it was not safe to venture beyond its borders.

The Il Ngwesi community are a Maasai clan who have lived in this region for generations. The pastoralist community have always been known for their ability to live among wildlife- and their name Il Ngwesi means “people of the wildlife”.

But in the 1970’s and 80’s a wave of rampant poaching, cattle rustling and crime driven by shifta bandits from the North saw their traditional homeland become uninhabitable. As the wildlife was wiped out and their cattle herds were stolen, the Il Ngwesi retreated into the sanctuary of the high dense forest, where they lived a basic subsistence existence with little access to clean water, health care or education.

In 1990, however, something radically changed the lives of the community. A new wildlife conservation initiative was being driven from the nearby Lewa Downs cattle ranch, in the belief that tourism could potentially become a major income generator.

In order for this to succeed, conservation would have to spread beyond the boundaries of the ranch, to allow safe access for migratory wildlife and this meant working with the surrounding communities. The plan was to establish an eco-tourist lodge, which was initially funded by USAID and Kenya Wildlife Services, and later received development funding from TTF.

The Il Ngwesi group area was the ideal location for the lodge, surrounded by 16,500 acres of stunning hills, sheer rock escarpments and riverine forests,- but before any such project could be initiated, the security situation needed to be addressed.

Lewa’s owner Ian Craig, who has become a true pioneer in the marriage of conservation and tourism, says “Security is the base need for both wildlife and human populations… Without security and the ability to be safe a community can do nothing to develop itself”.

In recognition of this base need, TTF has made part of their support of this project the funding of a radio network and training for security personnel. The current security manager Edward Paya, believes that the securing of the region through vigilant patrols and constant monitoring of wildlife, was a life changing event for his people.

“The shifta had made this area impossible to live in” he says “Before the coming of the tourism project, people spent their lives hiding in the forest. Even when we started building the lodge- the workers had to work during the day and then hide by night”

For the community, the benefits of the security systems quickly became apparent. There has not been a single incident of insecurity in the area since 1999, and the community can now graze their herds safely throughout the area.

The immediate benefits of the lodge and tourism venture, however, were less easy to see. The lodge was to be community owned and managed through a clearly defined management system, with an elected committee of community representatives of 634 households (representing a community of over 6000 people) who agreed the revenue structure and a system to use this revenue to support agreed community projects for education, health and development.

However, many members of the community were skeptical about the project when it began in 1995. Jonathon Kip, one of the many young Ngwesi men who worked to construct the lodge using dead wood, logs stones and thatched grass from the local area, doubted the project would ever succeed. “I thought this was not a great idea- I could not see how it would ever benefit us”

However he was selected from among the construction workers to work full time at the lodge when it opened. The lodge quickly gained a reputation as pioneering venture in community tourism, winning awards and attracting tourists who wanted an authentic cultural experience- including high profile clientele such as Prince William, who has visited 4 times.

Today, Kip is the manager of the 15 bed eco-lodge, and takes great pride in the achievements of the people. He has become a local authority on tourism and its benefits, and has traveled the world to speak on community eco-tourism. Yet he remains firmly dedicated to his culture and traditions.

“The reason we still live this way, the way we dress, the way we raise our families, is because we are proud of who we are” he explains “This project has shown us the value of our culture- when we see the interest that visitors have, we know that we have something that they do not have, something of value… and the success of Il Ngwesi has strengthened us. The management of the project brings us together more than ever before”.

The increase in business has worked symbiotically with the increase of the wildlife populations that draw guests to Il Ngwesi. Over 60% of the group ranch is now a conservancy and healthy populations of elephant, lion, cheetah and plains game have returned to the area, which allows guests to track and see big game with expert local guides. Additionally they learn about the culture, lives and history of the Il Ngwesi.

The development has not been without its challenges. As the eco-lodge aims to attract high yield upmarket clientele, it has to meet their expectations in terms of service and administration, and to keep marketing to an audience that is increasingly spoilt for choice.

TTF has worked closely with the project to address these issues. A new kitchen was fitted with proper stores, stoves and utensils to ensure that cuisine is properly and hygienically prepared, which has allowed the lodge to bring in professional chefs and food and beverage managers to train staff. This has seen the lodge make a significant change from operating as a self-catering facility to being a fully catered business, which has allowed them to increase their rates from $420 per day for the entire lodge to $240 per person.

The lodges common areas and pool and dining areas were further extended with assistance from TTF, allowing more space for guests to relax.

TTF also funded the extension of the office facilities, with new computers for better management and record keeping, and a website and other marketing resources. Project General Manager Njalis Shuel believes that “TTF assistance has helped us take a good idea and make it into a sustainable and viable business, and we are all so excited about the success and the profits we are beginning to see now”

Il Ngwesi has now released limited shares in the company, and have begun to expand, purchasing shares in a walking safari business and buying an additional 145 acres of land to reduce population pressure.

This also good news for the community. Il Ngwesi demonstrates the multiplying effect of TTF’s assistance, as the lodge profits support an increasingly large number of community projects.

School bursaries and education are one of the main beneficiaries. Before the tourism project, around 20 children from the area would attend school each year, with around 3 graduating with high school certificates. There are now an estimated 1400 children in school each year, with 90% going on to graduate.

Water is a vital part of everyday life in the area. Where women once had to spend an entire day climbing up a sheer escarpment to gather water from a stream for their daily needs, lodge revenue has now been used to dam the same stream, and with 6 kilometres of pipe deliver water direct to the community.

As people gather to draw water from the new communal water points and to water their herds at purpose built troughs, the benefits of their tourism and conservation projects are immediate, tangible and life enhancing.

It’s not suprising that the success has spread further than Il Ngwesi. Following the success of Il Ngwesi, the Northern Ranchlands Trust (NRT) was formed in 2004 to develop wildlife conservancies and sustainable community projects across the great ranchlands of Northern Kenya.

Working with a wide range of communities and an equally wide range of challenges, NRT is striving to develop strong community- led institutions as a foundation for investment and promote standards of good governance to sustain both the wildlife and the traditional ways of life in this region.

Still a key player in NRT, Lewa’s Ian Craig believes that with support from organizations like TTF, the opportunities for tourism in this area are boundless. “There is genuine sense of excitement about the future here” he says “The only limitations we have are financial. With the right kind of assistance, there are no limits to what we can achieve”