The Magical Kenya Tembo naming festival to be held at the Amboseli National Park ecosystem between October 8 and 9, 2021 has today received a boost of Sh1.5 million from three corporate organisations.
The three corporations include; KCB Bank, Mabati Rolling Mills (MRM) and Mediheal Hospital.
The initiative is part of the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife's drive to raise Sh100 million towards conservation of the endangered species in Kenya. During the event, an elephant will be up for adoption at Ksh500,000.
The ministry has also welcomed donations placing the minimum amount at Ksh1000 and Ksh50,000 from individuals and corporations respectively.
Foster parents (adopters) will be given priority to choose the first name, while the second is preserved for Maasai, based on the animal’s profile, history, role in the family and physical attributes like the state of its tusks.
The program was launched at the park in June this year by Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary (CS) Najib Balala.
Organisations already on board include the East African Safari Rally Limited (Sh2.5 million), while Chandaria Foundation and Oltukai Lodge have each donated Sh500,000.
CS Balala has on Sunday October 3, 2021 received cheques worth Sh1.5 million from Mabati Rolling Mills (MRM) KCB Bank and Mediheal Hospital at the Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) headquarters.
He said the initiative has drawn positive response and that the debut venue was a boost to conservation efforts, whose results has eliminated poaching in the last 10 years.
“This initiative has been well embraced by the public which is really positive and motivating to us. It shows that the efforts we are putting towards conservation in the country is slowly bearing fruit.
"Through this initiative we are aiming to ensure that we bring everybody on board because conservation should be of interest to everyone, it ensures that we maintain what we have for our future generations,” he said.
Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) chief executive Betty Radier said supporting conservation is a collective responsibility for the endless benefits it presents to our livelihoods.
"It is also strategic in terms of supporting tourism, which is largely anchored by wildlife," Radier said adding that it will help increase visitations to the Park.
Among the first elephants to be named will be those born between 2020 and 2021, and two sets of twins.
In an earlier interview, Balala said Kenya’s elephant population had grown to over 34,000, with the number increasing gradually at an annual rate of 2.8 per cent over the last three decades.
The CS said there has been a 96 per cent decline in poaching, with 386 elephants being lost in 2013 compared to 11 in 2020.
“We appreciate the opportunity extended to us to play a part in conservation which aligns with our business strategy for best practice in sustainability framework, we are proud to be part of making a better future for elephants and improving the relations between wildlife and humans,” the KCB Director of Corporate Banking Esther Waititu said.
MRM’s Head of Business Manish Mehra said the ministry has opened a door for his firm to expand their interest in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) areas that focus partly on the environment.
“We are looking forward to a lasting partnership in this area of conservation,” Mehara said.
