By Ashoka Mukpo
Under the shade of an acacia tree in the sweltering dry season, a group of elders has gathered to discuss community business in the town of Gotu. Two hours or so from Isiolo town, the small but bustling cattle town of Gotu is typical of Kenya’s northern rangeland.
Rashid Susa, a 70-year-old herder, is explaining his support for a conservation NGO that everyone in this area knows well: The Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT). He lists the benefits it has brought to Gotu in the 14 years it has been operating here: the salaries earned by community wildlife rangers, scholarships distributed from carbon credit payments, and help tracking down stolen livestock after raids by neighboring communities.
The town is part of the Nakuprat-Gotu conservancy, one of 45 NRT “member” conservancies in Kenya and Uganda. At least in this crowd of older men, NRT is popular. The men here are from the Borana ethnicity, but their conservancy is shared with Turkana herders they used to fight. Violence and cattle raiding between the two communities were once so bad that it made the highway that runs through town impassable, but co-managing Nakuprat-Gotu improved their relationship.
In the two decades since its founding by conservationist Ian Craig in 2004, NRT has grown into a behemoth. The conservancies Craig and NRT helped establish now cover more than 10% of Kenya’s total area: 6.37 million hectares (15.74 million acres).
Pitched as an alternative to the older fortress-style national park model that has dominated Africa since the colonial era, NRT represents arguably the most successful community conservation experiment in Africa. However, it is now potentially on the brink of collapse.
The stakes are high. This month, Verra, which certifies carbon credits for sale on global markets, put NRT’s flagship carbon project under review. Biliqo Bulesa is one of the project’s participants; last year, its Carbon Community Fund received nearly $200,000 as its cut of sales, some of which went to scholarships for 550 students living in the area. Overall, in 2024, around $2.5 million was disbursed to such funds in the 22 communities that have contributed land to the carbon project.
The past year has been one of turmoil and crisis for NRT, culminating in last week’s decision by Verra to suspend approval for a project it manages, for the second time.
The suspension follows a decision by a Kenyan court in a long-running dispute over the legality of two of its biggest conservancies. In January, Kenya’s Environment and Land Court ruled that the conservancies had been set up without adequate public participation and were thus unconstitutional.
On top of that, funding from USAID, historically one of NRT’s biggest donors, came to an abrupt halt under the current U.S. administration, and last summer Craig himself departed in a very public and acerbic dispute with the organization’s board.
It’s been a tough stretch for NRT, which has found itself in uncharted waters. And not everyone is rooting for it to find its way through.
A few hours west of Gotu, in the town of Biliqo, Hassan Godena sits cross-legged on a couch in his small home. A decade ago, Godena’s wife and daughter were killed in a cattle raid. He blames NRT for their death.
In its two decades of existence, NRT has enjoyed a meteoric rise to prominence in northern Kenya. Spurred by the collapse of rhino and elephant populations here, Craig encouraged communities neighboring his Lewa ranch to set up their own wildlife conservancies. They became NRT’s first members.
Under the model developed by Craig and NRT, when a community becomes a member of NRT, it signs an agreement allowing its land to be managed for conservation purposes. In exchange, the organization helps train and equip community wildlife rangers, called “scouts,” and directs donor funds toward local development projects like schools and water boreholes.
The stakes are high. This month, Verra, which certifies carbon credits for sale on global markets, put NRT’s flagship carbon project under review.
Before last year, NRT and Ian Craig were interchangeable in the minds of most people in northern Kenya. The organization was Craig’s brainchild, born from years of work convincing donors and community leaders in the north to buy into his vision for conservation.
Craig, a descendant of white settlers in Kenya, has been the most visible personality in NRT. It’s earned him awards, including a knighthood and the Order of the British Empire. But it’s also made him a prime target for the organization’s many critics.
NRT’s board is chaired by Julius Kipng’etich, CEO of Jubilee Holdings. According to Ruben Lendira, manager of the Sera conservancy’s rhino sanctuary, an internal power struggle between Craig and the board turned ugly last year.
Adding to its woes, earlier this year, NRT had to contend with the unexpected and sudden loss of one of its primary funders: USAID.
In its two decades, NRT has transformed northern Kenya, helping to establish a sprawling network of community conservancies, carbon projects, tourist facilities, and ranger operations. It’s been one of the most significant conservation initiatives in East Africa, with far-reaching impacts on nearly every aspect of daily life here.
Now, it faces the future without one of its keystone donors, in a war of words with its most recognizable face, and in legal limbo over a land rights case that’s choking off a critical source of carbon credit funding. How it fares from here will have ripple effects throughout the region and for community-led conservation in East Africa as a whole.
The article has been republished from Mongabay: https://news.mongabay.com/2025/05/crisis-hits-community-led-conservation-group-in-northern-kenya/
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Picture this: vast savannahs, majestic wildlife, and communities striving to balance tradition with modernity. Here, the quest for carbon credits has become a gold rush of sorts, with billions of dollars on the line. But what exactly are carbon credits, you ask? Think of them as permission slips for companies to emit a certain amount of carbon dioxide, which they can buy or sell based on their environmental impact.
In this region, local communities are stepping into the spotlight, eager to capitalize on the burgeoning carbon market. They’re not just passive players; they’re savvy negotiators, ready to turn their conservation efforts into cash. However, this newfound opportunity comes with its own set of challenges.
As the battle for these carbon credit billions heats up, questions arise: Who truly benefits? Are the local communities getting their fair share, or are they merely pawns in a larger game? And what about the environment—will the rush for profits overshadow the very purpose of these credits?
Join us as we delve into the complexities of this carbon credit conundrum, where the fight for financial gain meets the urgent need for sustainable practices. In Northern Kenya, the war for carbon credit billions is not just about money; it’s about the future of the land, its people, and the planet itself. Buckle up—this is one wild ride you won’t want to miss! Published from Mongabay: https://news.mongabay.com/2025/05/crisis-hits-community-led-conservation-group-in-northern-kenya/
