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THE SANCTUARY
The Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary was officially opened by the then Director of Kenya Wildlife Service, Dr David Western in 1995.
The objectives of the sanctuary:
- To reduce human-elephant conflict within the area.
- To conserve and protect wildlife.
- To ensure that communities and individuals who owned land within the Mwaluganje-Shimba Hills National Reserve corridor could benefit from wildlife conservation and Eco-Tourism development.
Today, the Mwaluganje wildlife community lives nearby and manages the Sanctuary, earning more from tourism than from farming, a critical factor in ensuring the survival of these elephants and creating alternative income sources for the community. Its establishment has enabled the community to build a school, better roads and secure a steady water supply. The Sanctuary project was also successful in ensuing that the forest was protected from deforestation, allowing the trees and plants to regenerate from years of crop farming.
Most of the staff employed at the Sanctuary are Mwaluganje landowners and shareholders. They are made up of scouts, guards and fence technicians that monitor the main gate and maintain the fence.
Membership to the community based project is strictly based on absolute ownership of the land. The land must be adjudicated, acreage owned determined, and appropriate instruments of ownership availed by the competent authority. A certificate of official search or a Title deed is sufficient evidence of land ownership. An Acre or part of an Acre constitutes as a single share. For jointly owned land, all the registered land owners are recognised as members and joint shareholders in respect of the specific plot.
