Our heritage is closely connected to the landscapes and wildlife around us. From the sweeping savannahs to the forested highlands, the natural world shapes who we are, how we live, and what we pass on to those who come after us. It is a bond that runs deeper than memory, older than history, and stronger than any boundary drawn on a map.
The Ura Gate Cultural Festival is an annual event hosted in Meru National Park in Tharaka Nithi County. It is a platform that celebrates regional heritage, fosters active community engagement, and highlights synergy between culture, wildlife conservation, and sustainable economic empowerment
At this year’s three-day festival, which commenced on 16th September, we were celebrating that connection while creating conversations around living alongside wildlife, caring for our shared environment and ensuring there is something worth passing on to future generations.
The Ura Gate Festival is more than a cultural gathering. It is a meeting point for communities, conservationists and partners who share a common belief: that people and wildlife can thrive together when there is understanding, respect and shared benefit. It is a space where stories are told, traditions are honoured, and the future is imagined not as something that happens to us, but something we build together.
This year’s festival carries a particular significance. As human populations grow and landscapes change, the spaces where people and wildlife meet are becoming more frequent and, at times, more tense. Human-wildlife conflict remains one of the most pressing challenges in conservation, affecting livelihoods, safety and the willingness of communities to embrace coexistence. But conflict is not the whole story. Across Kenya, communities are choosing a different path, one built on tolerance, innovation and partnership.
At the Ura Gate Festival, we explored what it means to live alongside wildlife in practical, everyday terms. From predator-proof bomas and community conservancies to education programmes and compensation schemes, there are solutions that work. There are also solutions still waiting to be imagined, and the festival provides a platform for those conversations to begin.
Our shared environment is not a luxury. It is the foundation upon which our heritage rests. The rivers that flow through our lands, the forests that shelter our wildlife, the grasslands that feed our herds and our wild herbivores alike, all of these are part of a single, interconnected system. When we care for them, we care for ourselves. When we neglect them, we all suffer.
The KWS Strategic Plan 2024–2028 envisions thriving wildlife and healthy habitats for all, forever. That vision cannot be achieved by any single institution. It requires the participation of communities, the commitment of leaders, the creativity of young people and the support of partners who understand that conservation is not a cost but an investment.
The Ura Gate Festival is a reminder that conservation is not something that happens in faraway parks, separated from daily life. It happens in the fields where farmers work, in the grazing lands where herders move their herds, in the schools where children learn, and in the cultural spaces where communities gather to celebrate who they are.