The High Court has temporarily stopped the Kajiado County Government from taking over the management of Amboseli National Park, dealing a setback to plans that have been at the centre of a long-running dispute over the control of one of Kenya’s most iconic wildlife reserves.
In orders issued on Sunday, Justice Gregory Mutai certified the matter as urgent and suspended the implementation of a Deed of Transfer signed in October 2025, pending the hearing and determination of the case.
The judge also directed the petitioner to serve all respondents and interested parties within three working days, with responses to be filed within seven days. The case will be mentioned for an inter partes hearing on July 24.
Pending that hearing, the court barred the Kajiado County Government, Governor Joseph Ole Lenku and anyone acting on the county’s behalf from taking over, managing or interfering with the operations of Amboseli National Park.
The latest ruling adds another chapter to the legal battle that has surrounded the management of the park for months.
The dispute began earlier this year after disagreements emerged over revenue generated from Amboseli, with Kajiado County officials and local leaders accusing the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) of failing to honour a revenue-sharing agreement. At one point, local leaders threatened to block access to the park unless the funds were released.
The issue was then taken to court when a constitutional petition questioned the legality of the transfer of management of the park to the county government.
According to the petitioner, Amboseli National Park is public land under the custody of the national government in trust per article 62 of the constitution and therefore cannot be transferred to the county government without complying with the necessary constitutional and legal requirements.
Back in November last year, the high court had already ordered conservatory orders pending the hearing of the case.
Under the proposed deal, Kajiado County was set to manage the operations of the park while KWS owned and oversaw the park.
Amboseli National Park situated at the base of the Kilimanjaro Mountain is among the most renowned tourism destinations in Kenya, recognized for its huge populations of elephants and beautiful scenery. The park attracts numerous tourists annually from all corners of the world thus generating tourism revenues for the country.
The hearing of the case will be on July 24 when the court will rule whether the conservatory orders will still apply in the course of the case.