Wildlife department faulted over Sh1.2bn legal fees as projects stall

The Office of the Controller of Budget (CoB) has raised concern over the State Department for Wildlife after it spent Sh1.2 billion on legal fees, leaving key conservation and development programmes underfunded.

According to the CoB’s report on the national government’s budget implementation for the 2024/2025 financial year, several projects under the department either stalled, lacked funding, or experienced long delays, with some registering completion rates as low as 3 per cent despite budgetary allocations.

“The expenditure comprised Sh957.43 million for legal dues/fees, arbitration and compensation payments,” the report states, further flagging the department among those with the highest budget revisions of up to 40 per cent.

Parliament had approved Sh14.34 billion for the Wildlife department, but the figure was later adjusted to Sh12.41 billion in Supplementary Estimates I, Sh13.06 billion in Supplementary Estimates II, and Sh12.91 billion in Supplementary Estimates III. Despite this, development budget absorption remained the lowest among environment-related departments at just 21 per cent, compared to the State Department for Forestry which recorded 99 per cent.

The report shows that while the department’s recurrent expenditure hit 101 per cent of revised gross estimates, development funds remained poorly absorbed.

Half of its critical projects—including provision of water for wildlife in protected areas, construction and equipping of four research and training centres, and the development of the National Integrated Wildlife Data Portal—remained unfunded, despite additional requests of Sh900 million being granted.

“Recurrent funds were moderately utilised, but development funds recorded poor uptake,” the report says, noting that “the wildlife research and development sub-programme had the highest absorption rate at 108 per cent, while the wildlife security, conservation and management sub-programme had the lowest at 95 per cent.”

The revelations come as the Capital Youth Caucus Association (CYCA) petitioned the National Assembly, calling for an audit of the department’s use of public resources. While recognising the central role of wildlife conservation and tourism in Kenya’s economy, the lobby highlighted concerns about accountability and efficiency within the department.

“Misallocation and overspending on legal fees undermines conservation priorities, development of wildlife infrastructure and youth employment opportunities tied to tourism,” the petition reads. It further warns that “persistent project delays weaken public confidence, compromise conservation efforts and threaten Kenya’s competitiveness as a leading tourism destination.”