By Joab Kinuthia, for Ethical Business
The first streaks of dawn ignite the dust motes swirling above a Samburu manyatta near Wamba. Leah Naserian’s hands, etched by sun and years of craftsmanship, move with practised speed as she presses vibrant glass beads into intricate patterns on a collar called an ngorora. Each necklace carries a story. A traveller who purchases one contributes directly to the Nasaru Women’s Group fund, a social enterprise supported by BeadWORKS under the Northern Rangelands Trust. According to their 2023 Executive Summary, NRT generated KSh 529.8 million (USD 3.9 million) through innovative projects, with over 1,250 women across nine conservancies earning more than US $90,000 (KSh 11.7 million) from artisan sales, benefits that flow on to nearly 8,000 family and community members.
Kenya’s community-run tourism model is reshaping both conservation and livelihoods. Kenya earned KSh 452.20 billion from tourism in 2024 compared to KSh 377.49 billion in 2023, a growth of 19.79% as the sector recovered, with earnings surging 32% to 352.5 billion shillings ($2.7 billion) in 2023 as increased arrivals drove revenue to the highest since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Today, more than 160 community conservancies: coordinated by the Kenya Wildlife Conservancies Association, protect roughly 6.5 million hectares (about 11 per cent of Kenya’s landmass) for wildlife and pastoral use. Binding agreements ensure that between 30 and 80 per cent of tourism revenue is reinvested locally, financing everything from ranger salaries and vehicle maintenance to school bursaries and health clinics, as detailed in Northern Rangelands Trust financial audits.
The Ripple Effect in Action
Laikipia’s Arid Ground, New Hope
On Laikipia’s sun-baked plains, Maasai elder James Lemunyo recalls an era when expectant mothers endured 40km donkey-cart treks for medical care. That changed in 1996, when Il Ngwesi Group Ranch launched its community-owned eco-lodge in partnership with the now defunct USAID. According to USAID’s 2022 health impact report, profits from the lodge support the Il Ngwesi Health Clinic: staffed by nurses and midwives, and have contributed to a 47 per cent reduction in maternal mortality. Lodge revenue also financed a solar-powered borehole at Sanga, ending water scarcity for over 70 neighbouring households (The Water Project Case Study). Through this model, tourism not only sustains wildlife but also transforms harsh landscapes into thriving homelands.
Shimoni’s Coastline, Women’s Enterprise
Far to the south, along Kwale County’s mangrove-lined shore, the Tuwamalie Homestays cooperative gives visitors an authentic glimpse of coastal life. Founded by local women, it reinvests guest fees into village enterprises. The cooperative’s public financial ledger shows profits funding solar-powered fish coolers, which UNDP Kenya reports have increased fisher incomes by 30 per cent in 2023. Members like Mama Aisha Hassan have used proceeds to launch sewing businesses and support vocational training for their children. Here, every night’s stay directly underwrites both tradition and innovation.
Culture as Conservation
Responsible tourism in Kenya does more than boost incomes; it safeguards intangible heritage. Samburu beadwork communicates social identity: age, marital status and clan affiliation, and when artisans are fairly compensated, this living tradition endures. Across the country, Maasai, Rendille, Pokot and Turkana communities host cultural workshops and homestays, ensuring that dances, songs and foodways remain central to their economies and worldviews.
Travel as Partnership
For travellers, choosing a lodge or tour operator is never neutral. It is a vote for how tourism dollars are spent. Certified platforms such as Ecotourism Kenya and the Kenya Association of Tour Operators (KATO) vet providers on criteria including community ownership, revenue transparency and environmental stewardship. As the Ecotourism Kenya guide advises: “Ask where your fees go, and choose operators whose profits fund local schools, clinics and water projects.”
In other words, choose holidays where you fund a borehole, clinic or school simply by sleeping in the right lodge.
Weave Your Own Impact
Book through verified partners: Look for Ecotourism Kenya–certified operators such as Il Ngwesi Community Lodge or programmes listed by Village Ways.
Support community projects directly: Your bed-nights and park fees help fund boreholes, school-feeding programmes and artisan collectives.
By choosing experiences that prioritise local partnership, travellers become allies in Kenya’s conservation and development story. Their presence at a Samburu manyatta, Il Ngwesi’s eco-lodge or a coastal homestay is more than a holiday—it is an investment in schools, clinics and cultural legacy.
SDG Alignment: This responsible tourism model advances SDG 1 (No Poverty) through direct revenue sharing, SDG 8 (Decent Work & Economic Growth) by creating formal employment opportunities, and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) by ensuring tourism benefits reach marginalised communities.
