Laikipia County
Colonial ranches became conservation pioneers—350,000 hectares protect 50% of Kenya's black rhinos. By 2026: funding returns or subdivision pressure wins.
Laikipia exists because the ranchers stayed—and learned to share with wildlife. This plateau between Mount Kenya and the Aberdare Range was carved into large European ranches during colonial times, and unlike most Kenyan highland areas, significant portions remained as large holdings after independence. That accident of land tenure created space for an experiment: could cattle ranching and wildlife conservation coexist?
The answer, imperfect but remarkable, is the Laikipia conservancy model. Today 24 member conservancies covering 350,000 hectares operate through the Laikipia Conservancies Association, created in 2019. Some are private ranches like Loisaba (56,000 acres); others are community-owned like the Mukogodo group ranches. Nearly all combine livestock with wildlife: tourists pay to see the reticulated giraffes, Grevy's zebras, and 50% of Kenya's black rhinos that roam land still grazed by cattle.
The model generates jobs—Loisaba alone employs over 200 people—and builds schools and clinics. Ol Pejeta Conservancy pioneered community-integrated conservation that became a global blueprint. But 2025 brought pressure: a KSh 1.2 billion funding freeze hit conservancies nationwide, while cropland in Laikipia expanded 50% in the past decade as population growth drove subdivision.
The county exhibits classic fragile coexistence: when tourism revenue flows, communities protect wildlife; when funding freezes, the calculus shifts toward livestock and subdivision. By 2026, Laikipia tests whether Kenya's most successful conservation model can survive funding volatility and demographic pressure—or whether the ranching-wildlife equilibrium will break.