President William Ruto has commended the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) for embracing the digitisation of services and increasing its revenues substantially.

The President said the institution is now able to cover up to 87 percent of its budget.

He noted that this has enhanced service delivery, including enabling KWS to acquire 98 vehicles that will help it execute its mandate better.

He urged KWS board and management to work towards increasing revenues that will make it self-sustaining and wean it off dependence on the National Treasury.

“I urge the KWS Board and management to build on this achievement and, with the same focus and dedication, intensify their efforts to achieve full financial self-sustainability within the next two years,” he said.

President Ruto made the remarks during the passing-out parade of 1,274 ranger recruits and cadets at the KWS Law Enforcement Academy in Manyani, Taita-Taveta County.

Present were Cabinet Secretaries Rebecca Miano (Tourism), Opiyo Wandayi (Energy), Salim Mvurya (Trade) and Hassan Joho (Mining), and Taita Taveta Governor Andrew Mwadime.

During the first anniversary of the e-Citizen Directorate last week, President Ruto pointed out that digitisation of public services had led to the increase of KWS’ annual revenue collection from Ksh.5.3 billion to Ksh.7.6 billion, an increase of 43 per cent.

For KWS to achieve budget self-sufficiency, the President urged the organisation to explore partnerships.

“Within the existing legal framework, KWS should establish robust public-private partnerships to attract investments in infrastructure development, create competitive tourism products and enhance national parks’ capacity,” he said.

On human-wildlife co-existence, he said the government has invested Ksh.2.9 billion to address and mitigate the impacts of climate change, which exacerbate conflicts.

President Ruto said the government has supported community conservancies, spearheaded a nationwide fencing project for national parks and provided water sources for wildlife.

He noted that the government disbursed Ksh.908 million in the 2022/23 financial year and Ksh.950 million in 2023/24 financial year.

“This financial year (2024/25), Ksh.1.1 billion is already being disbursed,” he said.

The President highlighted the contributions to tourism and environmental conservation of more than 250 conservancies operated by communities and private entities under the Kenya Wildlife Conservancies Association.

These efforts, he said, have enabled the reclamation of critical land for conservation despite challenges such as climate change and land fragmentation.

“There is no longer any doubt that conservancies play a pivotal role in protecting wildlife, securing livelihoods, generating income and enhancing human-wildlife coexistence,” he said.

President Ruto explained that the government has introduced a digital fund administration system to ensure timely and efficient compensation for victims of human-wildlife conflict.

“This innovation, aligned with our Bottom Up Economic Transformation Agenda, leverages the digital superhighway to significantly advance human-wildlife coexistence initiatives,” he said.

The President emphasised the government’s unwavering commitment to anti-poaching efforts, noting that these measures have achieved remarkable success and saved a number of species that a few years ago were on the brink of extinction.

He pointed out that in 2020, Kenya recorded zero rhino poaching cases, a landmark achievement after years of battling corrupt and vicious criminal syndicates.

“Today, Kenya proudly boasts Africa’s third-largest rhino population, with 2,004 rhinos, and the fourth-largest elephant population of 37,000,” he said.

President Ruto urged the newly recruited rangers to carry out their duties with dedication, courage and patriotism.

“Always remember that you are the guardians of Kenya’s natural wealth, the custodians of our national heritage and the stewards of our shared responsibility to future generations,” he said.

The President called for a joint partnership between the government, communities and other partners in wildlife conservation, saying it would ensure Kenya remains a global beacon of excellence in conservation.

He also urged Kenyans to defend the country against those keen on undermining its progress and reputation.

“As patriotic Kenyans, we must stand up for Kenya,” he said.

Cabinet Secretary Miano said this year’s trainees at the KWS Academy had the highest number of women in the history of ranger training.

“Our aim is to bring on board many young women into wildlife conservation,” she said.