Taita-Taveta County
Tsavo's wildlife and gemstones compete for the same land—historic framework may allow mining in national parks. By 2026: coexistence model or conservation compromise.
Taita Taveta exists because Tsavo exists—and because gemstones exist beneath it. This county between the Taita Hills and the Tanzania border encompasses much of Tsavo National Park, one of Kenya's largest wildlife areas where elephants, lions, and the infamous "man-eaters" of colonial legend roam. The Taita and Taveta peoples developed agriculture in the hills while pastoralists worked the plains below.
But beneath the park lies treasure: tsavorite, ruby, tourmaline, garnets, and tanzanite deposits worth billions. Mining contributes KSh 3 billion annually to the county economy, yet the most valuable deposits lie within park boundaries. For years, desperate artisanal miners have risked wildlife and rangers to access these resources illegally. 2025 brought a potential breakthrough: the government is finalizing a "historic framework" to grant controlled mining access within Tsavo—the first such arrangement in Kenya.
The county lives the classic conservation-versus-development tension. Twenty-eight ranches covering 1.4 million acres function as wildlife corridors between Tsavo East and West, supported by the Taita Taveta Wildlife Conservancy Association. Yet President Ruto reversed his promise of 50:50 park revenue sharing with the county, claiming Tsavo generates no profit. Human-wildlife conflict persists; elephants invade farms while communities receive little benefit from conservation.
By 2026, Taita Taveta tests whether regulated mining within protected areas can coexist with conservation—or whether the experiment unleashes destruction. The framework being developed may become a model for resource-rich protected areas globally, or a cautionary tale of compromised conservation.