Kenyan Activists Challenge Maasai Mara Lodge Expansion

Environmental and human rights organisations in Kenya have filed a fresh court case seeking to stop the construction and expansion of luxury lodges in the Maasai Mara National Reserve, arguing that growing tourism infrastructure is threatening the ecosystem.

The petition, filed before Kenya’s Environment and Land Court, asks the court to suspend approvals for new accommodation facilities and the expansion of existing lodges in the reserve until 2032. It also seeks a declaration that several luxury lodges operating in the Maasai Mara were established without meeting environmental and legal requirements.

The case was brought by the East Africa Law Society, Natural Justice, JustAct and the Africa Centre for Peace and Human Rights. The organisations argue that increased tourism development is disrupting the annual Great Migration, during which more than one million wildebeest, zebras and gazelles move between Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park and Kenya’s Maasai Mara in search of grazing land.

The petition is separate from a legal challenge filed last year over the development of a Ritz-Carlton safari lodge within the reserve. In the latest case, the petitioners named the Ritz-Carlton lodge, Sala’s Camp and Elewana’s Sand River Masai Mara among facilities they allege are operating without complying with legal and environmental requirements.

The lodges had not responded to requests for comment at the time of reporting. Marriott International, which owns the Ritz-Carlton brand, and the Kenya Wildlife Service also did not immediately comment. Wildlife authorities previously rejected claims that the Ritz-Carlton project obstructs the migration corridor.

The Environment and Land Court has scheduled the first hearing for July 20, when conservation groups and developers are expected to present their arguments. The court has not yet ruled on the petition.

SOURCE: Reuters