Studies have shown that the disruption to the migratory route has genetic implications for the animals’ longer-term survival. In Summary Mohamed Said from the African Elephant Specialist Group, who made the presentation on wildlife population dynamics, said the lost corridors and dispersal areas will have devastating impacts on the wildlife population. “Land fragmentation, subdivision, unregulated...Read More

WRTI Director Patrick Omondi says timely generation and dissemination of scientific data is essential for effective policy development. he Wildlife Research and Training Institute (WRTI) is set to host the Second International Wildlife Scientific Conference, aimed at exploring innovative approaches to safeguard biodiversity while enhancing human livelihoods. Scheduled for September 23 to 25, 2025, in...Read More

The government has offered at least Sh3.8B to compensate victims of human-wildlife conflict to ease the backlog of pending cases over the last three years. According to Kenya Wildlife Service Director General Prof. Erastus Kanga, the agency has recorded 26,000 cases of such conflicts in the last two years alone, attracting more than Sh1.2 billion...Read More

Over the years, the The Nzoia River Basin, a critical watershed in the country has suffered extensive degradation caused by soil erosion, deforestation, and unsustainable human activities. As part of intervention efforts, the Institute, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST) in collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and supported by...Read More

On June 4-6th, 2025, the Institute’s Senior Management and the Board Audit and Risk Committee members commenced a three-day Risk Management Implementation Training at Lake Naivasha Resort. Making the opening remarks, Director, Dr. Patrick Omondi, underscored the importance of institutional resilience through proactive risk governance. “As an Institute tasked with leading wildlife research and training...Read More

In a bid to boost Aquaculture training, the Institute, on June 4th, 2025 received a donation of 12 desktop computers from Tunga Nutrition (K) Limited as part of the ongoing Samaki Poa initiative—an East African programme dedicated to transforming the aquaculture sector. Samaki Poa aims to enhance food security, create sustainable employment, and promote inclusive...Read More

On 30th May 2025, the Institute hosted a specialized training on biodiversity valorisation, facilitated by Dr. Hartmut Meyer and Dagmar Honsbein from GIZ – the German Development Cooperation. The three-day session brought together researchers and lecturers from various institutions to deepen their understanding of international frameworks on environmental governance and the sustainable management of biodiversity...Read More

Kenya’s black rhino population has made an extraordinary recovery, rising from just 384 individuals in the late 1980s to 1,059 today. This resurgence is a testament to decades of strategic national conservation efforts, underpinned by robust scientific research and policy support. The Institute has played a pivotal role in this journey, providing critical data that...Read More

In a bid to understand elephant populations’ numbers and distribution in the country’s forested ecosystems, the Institute, on May 28, 2025 embarked on the Mau Forest Complex and Shimba Hills elephant survey which applied the total line-transect dung count.  This approach estimates elephant population size by counting dung piles, while factoring in additional two key...Read More

TheInstitute, in collaboration with the University of Helsinki has released a new publication titled: Addressing Human-Elephant Conflicts in Taita Taveta County, Kenya: Integrating Species Distribution Modeling into Targeted Conservation Strategies. With nearly 70% of Kenya’s wildlife living outside protected areas, competition between people and wildlife over land and resources continues to intensify. Human-elephant conflict is...Read More