Erin Crowther

December 16, 2014

Kenya, Civil Society, and Conservation Social Entrepreneurship

Introduction:

In his book, How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New

Ideas, David Bornstein introduces the idea of social entrepreneurs, innovative individuals who

solve social problems on a large scale (2007, p. 1). Social entrepreneurs are men and women

who dedicate their lives to addressing the needs and injustices encompassing communities across

the globe, taking groundbreaking and pioneering approaches to a multitude of social issues. As

many of these communities compose nations facing corruption, violence, and poverty, social

entrepreneurs are unique in their approach to advance social benefit and promote civil society, or

a high level of positive community collaboration. These individuals design their work around

meeting social needs or advancing specific causes, yet additionally strive to build unity within

communities through connections to those needs or issues.

Kenya is home to some of the most diverse wildlife populations in the world. However,

government corruption and a lack of unity within the nation has led to irresponsible leadership of

conservation services. Social entrepreneurs like conservationist Ian Craig have stepped up to

advance wildlife conservation from a private, community-based approach. Ecosystem Services is

the essentially the concept that brings a universal urgency to the importance of wildlife and

habitat conservation. Ecosystem Services describe how the processes inherent in the natural

world provide the oxygen, food, and shelter people require, and even the aesthetic and scientific

knowledge that supports the growth and survival of the human species. It is becoming more

evident to scientists every year that the key to the continuation of the Ecosystem Services we rely

on is the maintenance of biodiversity, yet biodiversity is under significant attack, with extinction
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rates today measured at several times greater than historic levels (Bolund & Hunhammar, 1999,

p. 295).

This brings new importance to the efforts of the wildlife conservationists working to

protect endangered species and maintain the natural balance that support the ecosystems that

make our planet work. Without biodiversity, civil society will not have the chance to flourish

within nations. Ian Craig and other conservation-focused social entrepreneurs are working in

nations across the world to ensure the maintenance of biodiversity, ensuring the future

sustainability of communities.

Part 1: Civil Society in Kenya

Civil society is defined by CIVICUS as the arena outside family, government, and

market where people voluntarily associate to advance common interests based on civility

(Anheier, p. 8). The concept of civil society has remained both complex and dynamic, supporting

many understandings of the term throughout history. This connection is supported by the

interaction between the seven key concepts of civil society: philanthropy, rule of law, private

associations, free expression, the common good, individual rights, and tolerance, as established

by Bruce R. Sievers in his book, Civil Society, Philanthropy, and the Fate of the Commons

(2010, p. 4). Through the collaboration of history and culture with the manifestation of Sievers

concepts, the presence and scope of civil society in foreign countries can be distinguished.

The current weakened state of civil society in Kenya is reflected in the countrys history

of conflict. Originally colonized by the British in the 1880s, Kenya was valued for its location, as

it allowed the British to maintain a trade route to India (David, 2011). The country remained

under British control until 1964, when it was granted independence and the Republic of Kenya

was formed. However, the countrys political instability began in the 1940s, when the Kenyan
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African Union (KAU) was established to fight for the freedom (BBC, 2014). Since that time,

political power has been transferred from one party to the next, with conflict, violence, and

opposition leaving their marks upon the country and Kenyans themselves.

The most significant factor working against the strengthening of Kenyas civil society is

the sense of tribalism within the country. Defined by Max Gluckman as persisting loyalty to a

tribe, tribalism involves unity to a specific tribe or ethnic group rather than a specific country

(1960, p. 55). An incredibly diverse continent, Africa is home to hundreds of different tribes,

with Kenya sharing this diversity. Due to tribalism, Kenya is cannot successfully launch any

national movements, as members of certain tribes will refuse to conform to the motion.

Furthermore, much of the political unrest and corruption that occurs within Kenya is a direct

result of tribalism. Candidates are often elected based on what ethnic group they represent, rather

than how prepared they are to take control of the country. Furthermore, once in office, political

leaders will replace every person currently in power with an individual of their shared ethnicity

or tribal roots (Orvis, 2001, p. 9). This process results in a corrupt and inexperienced

governmental cabinet.

Kenyas philanthropic sector additionally has been affected by tribalism. According to

Ian Craig, social entrepreneur and wildlife conservationist, the outreach of Kenyas philanthropic

sector has been held by tribal ties. Grassroots organizations do exist within the country, however,

as Craig states, they do not have the scale to be able to make a difference within the nation

(personal communication, December, 2014). As grassroots organizations are characteristic of

small, tribal communities, they are often tied down by feuds or long-standing disagreement

between different groups. The inability of these communities to cooperate with each other
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prevents the philanthropic sector from flourishing, resulting in a stagnant measure of civil

society.

The weakened state of civil society within Kenya has prevented funding from reaching its

proper destination, particularly in the areas of health, education, and conservation. As

biodiversity within the country is being detrimentally affected by habitat degradation and

poaching, the future of Kenyan ecosystem services is uncertain. Innovators in the area of wildlife

conservation are necessary to the future sustainability of the country, and several individuals are

stepping up to the challenge ahead. One of these individuals is Ian Craig.

Part 2: Background of Social Entrepreneur

Social entrepreneur and Ashoka Fellow Ian Craig works to promote wildlife conservation

within Kenya through the involvement of local communities. Craig recognized that in order for

wildlife conservation to take hold in the country, the culture and livelihoods of the people who

share space with the wildlife could not be ignored. He has dedicated much of his life to uniting

and advancing tribal communities in ways that also stimulate wildlife conservation.

Ian Craigs journey to his present role as one of Africas leading wildlife conservationists

followed a unique path. In 1922, the Craig family left their home in England and moved to Lewa

Downs in Kenya to raise cattle. In contrast with other local cattle farmers, the Craigs recognized

the potential negative impact their family business could have on the sustainability of the local

environment and wildlife population, leading them to establish the family ethic Leave room for

the wildlife, and setting their conservation work in motion (Eyes on Africa, 2014). Lewa

Wilderness, located within Kenyas Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, became the Craigs wildlife

tourism base, where they now conduct safari vacations, manage populations of endangered and

threatened species, and share the importance of conservation with their guests.
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Once a professional big game hunter, Ian Craig spent the early part of his life

conducting trophy hunting trips with tourists. Later, he focused on his familys cattle ranching

business for ten years, acquiring animal husbandry and veterinary skills. According to Craig, the

combination of his immersion in the natural world, his familys connection with the land, and a

deep-seated personal interest in sustainability - likely inspired by his familys values and ethics

eventually resulted in his developing a sense of duty and responsibility that led to a life dedicated

to wildlife conservation (personal communication, December, 2014).

The roots of Ian Craigs organization, the Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT), began with

his involvement in rhinoceros conservation on his familys land, Lewa Downs. Located in the

center of Kenya, the Maasai tribe primarily dominates the area. As cattle farming is central to the

Maasai culture, poaching has not traditionally been a significant economic component within

Maasai communities; however, neither was preventing it an area of particular concern. While

poaching did occur in Lewa, tribe members did not typically view the action as a significant

threat to the sustainability of their community and remained largely disinterested. As increased

poaching was beginning to combine with habitat loss and uncontrolled cattle grazing, wildlife

populations were being decimated and this disinterest was posing a threat.

Craig determined that the formulation of a strategy that would cause the benefits of

wildlife protection to outweigh the benefits of poaching and cattle production was required. As

black rhinoceroses were critically endangered at the time, he structured his strategy around their

protection.

Transforming his ranch into a protected wildlife habitat, Craig built lodges and safari

camps on the land to draw wildlife tourism to the area. Then, in order to gain the respect and
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trust of the Maasai people, he approached the concept of conservation in a manner that was

consistent with their way of life.

Having land available for their cattle to graze was critical to the livelihood of the Maasai,

and overgrazing and the conversion of cattle pasture land to agricultural purposes caused tension

among the people, weakening the community as a whole. Craig determined that by linking the

preservation of cattle grazing lands with conservation efforts, a community-based conservation

program could be adopted. He also proposed community ownership and management of tourist

lodges to the Maasai, helping them understand that carefully sharing land between cattle and

wildlife would provide the greatest economic strength, as the success of tourism would depend

on prevalent wildlife.

Through the establishment of cooperatively-managed land, specific areas were defined

for cattle grazing and wildlife preservation, reducing the conflict that often occurred between

individuals and tribes when land was altered for other purposes. Through this model, Craig

successfully maintained the culture and way of life of the locals, consequently maintaining peace

within the area. Participating communities would be expected to combat poaching and dedicate

themselves to protecting the wildlife of the area, particularly the black rhinoceros. Craig writes,

In providing [for] Lewas rhinoceroses through mobilizing local communities, I realized that

the concept of establishing well governed community institutions was opening up a whole new

opportunity for conservation (personal communication, December, 2014).

Key to Craigs proposal were the benefits that community ownership of the tourist lodges

provided. Wildlife tourism yielded greater profits for the Maasai than poaching ever did,

additionally carrying with it health, utility, employment, educational, and economic incentives
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and advantages. The lodges and promise of tourism gave the Maasai an unprecedented reason to

be invested in the sustainability of the wildlife whose home they shared.

When the Lewa wildlife conservancy proved to be a success, Craig, along with Francis

Ole Kaparo, created and organized the Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT), a much larger network

of conservancies throughout central Kenya. After the first two conservancies, Il Ngwesi and

Namunyak, were a great success, the NRT expanded into more conservancies and now consists

of twenty-seven individually governed communities.

The most pressing challenges currently facing the NRT include managing the increasing

demand for new conservancies, locating and training staff to meet the ever-growing demand, and

maintaining the organizations character and attention to detail as it grows. Due to traditionally-

poor leadership of the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), conservation efforts in the country have

largely been left to large non-governmental organizations (NGOs) like the NRT (Ian Craig,

personal communication, December, 2014). Each time the leadership of Kenya shifts, the

leadership of the KWS follows suit, and those put in positions of power often are not the most

prepared for their position. While new conservancies ensure a greater focus on conservation and

community connection and involvement in the area, they lack access to the policy-making

authority and resources that governmental organizations like the Kenya Wildlife Service control.

To address these challenges, the NRT is working to extend their proven model to other

areas of Kenya, effectively bypassing the bureaucratic failure of the KWS by replacing it with

community cooperation based on cultural and economic incentives. While the NRT currently

encompasses central Kenya, the organization has plans to extend their model to the Turkana

region in north-western Kenya, the south-eastern coastal region of Kenya, and Marsabit in north-

central Kenya (Central Intelligence Agency, 2011). Branching out to these regions would allow
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the NRT to not only reach a wider geographical area, but additionally to expand to several new

ethnic groups, including the Turkana people, the Mijikenda of the coast, and the Borana of

Marsabit (Morgan, 2000, p. 84).

The NRT intends to increase their human capital by investing in leadership development

among community members. They are especially interested in increasing the breadth of their

internship program, which provides locals with the experience required to manage NRT regions

and conservancies (personal communication, December, 2014). Through their internship

program, the NRT is furthering their mission to promote not solely wildlife conservation, but the

sustainability and success of the surrounding communities, as well. Locals are the only eligible

applicants for the intern program, enabling native Kenyans to achieve the skills and knowledge

necessary to become the next generation of leaders in the NRT and in the entire countrys

conservation sector.

Part 3: Social Network Development

Central to Ian Craigs and the NRTs approach to wildlife conservation is their complete

inclusion of and reliance on local Kenyan communities in the advancement of their work. As

tribalism is central to Kenyan society, identifying methods of uniting communities needed to

recognize and respond to both the advantages and disadvantages of tribal values, loyalties, and

relationships. Craig found it necessary to establish a culture of trust between all parties invested

in the concept of the NRT and the local communities that would make the project possible. In his

book, Nonprofit Organizations: Theory, Management, Policy, Helmut K. Anheier defines social

capital as the existence of bonds of trust and norms of reciprocity that can facilitate social

interaction (2005, p. 58). Formed when a community recognizes and is united by a common

link, social capital is the set of connections within a society which allow communities to
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positively interact and work towards a shared mission or goal. By structuring the NRT around

the way of life of the local tribal communities and introducing them to the benefits wildlife

conservation can bring, social capital was formed between the two parties.

The current demand for conservancies throughout central Kenya, and other Kenyan

regions as well, can be perceived as a successful franchising of grass-roots initiatives. Success

of the conservancy model results from local implementation of the core model, with adjustments

and refinements that reflect local sensibilities and conditions. Benefits accumulate on a large

scale to conservation, economic advantage, and community stability, but also on a smaller scale

to those individuals who participate in the implementation. For example, as the NRT is dedicated

to not only advancing wildlife conservation but additionally providing education, health care,

and opportunity to conservancy communities, the intern program is restricted to local community

members. When addressing the outreach and expansion of the conservancy model, a proposal to

an outsider communities conducted by a tribal native has the potential to formulate a greater

degree of social capital and therefore draw out more positive results. Social capital is therefore

an important complement to philanthropic action. In order for organizations to be successful in

achieving their mission, cooperation and collaboration are necessary among members. When a

NGO is reinforced by a community structured around trust, they achieve the power of a united,

motivated group behind their cause

While social capital addresses the community aspect of Craigs work, an operational

factor critical to the success of the NRT and conservancy model is funding, especially the

acquisition of financial capital and operational start-up costs. Characteristic of the work of many

social entrepreneurs, acquiring funding for the NRT proves to be a continual challenge.
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Building and maintaining relationships with supporters is critical to the funding success of an

organization, and as the work of many social entrepreneurs may occur thousands of miles away

from major funders in remote locations, the development of a donor base can pose a challenge.

Due to the success of their work, the NRT is beginning to acquire more of their funding from

governmental entities within Kenya. Some of these entities, existing in close proximity to the

NRT, are able to physically experience the success of the NRTs work and become invested in

their cause. However, while governmental support is on the rise, the NRT continues to be

primarily financed through private, philanthropic gifts, large international NGOs, and bi-lateral

funding agencies.

To most effectively communicate with and inspire each donor type to invest in the NRT,

Craig customized his presentation of the NRT story to each audience. As private individuals are

often attracted to clear projects with tangible outcomes, NGOs tend to show an interest in

economic stimulation and human services, and bi-lateral funding agencies are dedicated to

investing in change, Craig structures his fundraising efforts around the values of each specific

donor, consequently citing greater success and donations.

Part 4: Current Impact

Since its inauguration in 2004, the NRT has only grown in strength and scope, reaching

out to multiple communities across central Kenya and establishing a total of 27 current

conservancies (Northern Rangelands Trust, 2014). Through his work with the NRT, Ian Craig is

transforming the way wildlife conservation is approached in Kenya. The effectiveness of the

conservancy model in the areas of both wildlife conservation and community advancement has

led to public policy change within the country. According to Craig, new legislation has been

passed in both the Wildlife Act and National Land Act in reference to the proven success of the
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conservancy model (personal communication, December, 2014). Through the ratification of the

KWS Wildlife Act in 2013, wildlife conservation is now considered an acknowledged form of

land use within the nation (Kenya Wildlife Conservancies Association, 2014). The success of the

NRTs conservancies has required the Kenyan government to acknowledge the significant role

wildlife conservation plays in the Kenyan economy and therefore, the success of the nation as a

whole. Due to the policy changes, wildlife tourism is valued as an asset of the country, resulting

in the protection of land from development or agriculture, and promoting its use as wildlife

preservations.

However, Craigs work through the NRT has not simply advanced wildlife conservation

within the country, but additionally promoted the welfare and advancement of local communities

and tribes. Through partnership with the NRT, individuals have the opportunity receive an

education, access proper health care, benefit from a stable job that produces a steady source of

income, and have access to utilities without having to compromise their traditional beliefs or

culture. By establishing preservations dedicated to wildlife protection and grazing land for

Maasai cattle, cultural traditions were maintained, yet the opportunity to take advantage of the

other incentives that accompanied lodge ownership and management was available.

In the future, Craig hopes to see the scope of the NRT expand to a national level,

transforming the way conservation is approached in Kenya. As the conservancy model provides

an innovative and effective approach to collaborating with local, pastoral communities within

Kenya, it has the potential to spread to across the country to encompass a wider range of land

and ethnic groups. As local governments across the country have taken interest in the model,

Craig states, With increasing interest by county governments in the NRT model, I believe it has

the potential to change the face of conservation in much of Northern and coastal areas of
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Kenya. Furthermore, Craig intends to fund the expenses of a formal, international education for

young, proven conservancy managers. By granting a native Kenyan who has invested fully in the

conservancy model the opportunity to receive an international education, that individual has the

potential to return to Kenya with the skills and credentials necessary to become politically

involved, inspiring policy change and possibly even bringing political stability to the country.

If taking on the role of a program officer at a foundation, I would strongly advise the

support of this program through private funds. As Kenya is a nation based in tribalism,

unification of the country under one specific policy is next to impossible. Citizens view

themselves as members of their specific tribe, whether Maasai, Turkana, or Samburu, rather than

as Kenyans. Ian Craigs work and the structure of the NRT is a unique approach that addresses

the importance of wildlife conservation while complying with the tribal unity of Kenya.

Understanding that the entirety of Kenya would not collaborate to address wildlife conservation,

Craig approached the issue from a community perspective. Craig encouraged communities to

take pride in their land, rewarding them with the economic benefits of wildlife tourism if they

chose to dedicate their property as a wildlife sanctuary. This organizational structure provided a

method of promoting conservation within the country without creating further rifts between

ethnic groups.

Conclusion

A strong, well-established civil society has the power to hold an entire nation together in

times of conflict and turmoil. Within countries with weakened civil societies all over the world,

there are innovative and creative individuals working as change-makers to advance a specific

cause and promote social welfare and community gain in the process. Ian Craig is one of these

change-makers a social entrepreneur. Through the NRT, Craig is working to unite communities
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divided by tribalism under the same mission of wildlife conservation. His innovative concept of

giving these communities something in common has resulted in rival tribes no longer fighting

against each other, but rather uniting to fight for the same cause of wildlife conservation within

Kenya. By working around governmental corruption, promoting proper management procedures

within its conservancies, and increasing its scope through internship programs, public policy

change, and a regional approach, Ian Craig and the NRT have the potential to benefit not simply

a few communities, but rather transform an entire nation.

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