Land subdivision of Maasai group ranches around Amboseli National Park, Kenya: Drivers, impacts, and the influence of conservation organisations.

This article examines the land subdivision process among Maasai group ranches in Kenya’s Greater Amboseli Ecosystem (GAE) following the 2016 Community Land Act (CLA). Despite the CLA’s intent to support communal land tenure, many Maasai pastoralists opted for subdivision into individual private plots, driven by fears of dispossession, clan-based politics, and economic pressures exacerbated by drought and the COVID-19 pandemic. The study highlights how international conservation NGOs have leveraged this transition to secure extensive “green leases” on subdivided lands, expanding wildlife conservancies but also contributing to the fragmentation of rangelands critical for pastoralism and wildlife mobility. These changes have led to complex power dynamics, land sales to brokers and investors, and uncertain futures for Maasai livelihoods, customary governance, and ecosystem connectivity.