Nairobi National Park Management

For some years now, the focus of the authorities legally mandated with managing East Africa's Protected Areas -TANAPA in Tanzania & KWS in Kenya-has been on revenue collection.
Not surprising in poor countries wanting to maximise benefits from the marvellous & unique natural splendours of the region you might think.
But what of protecting & managing these areas for maximum benefit for future generations to do the same (that is more & better revenue maximisation in the future?)
The fact is that Protected Areas are neither being protected, nor are they being managed efficiently.
Take Nairobi National Park. A policy of benign neglect prevails, with 2 gates closed or used by Annual pass holders only (out of 4).The park is full of wind-blown litter & detritus thrown out by careless visitors, none of which is picked up by KWS staff.
A reported 20,000 hungry & emaciated Maasai cattle graze in the park day & night & yet overseas visitors are having to pay $40 to see them amongst the herds of hungry wild grazers that are all in the park right now owing to the on-going drought.
The Warden says he is 'powerless' to act, yet brand new landcruisers speed through the park day & night (for 2 consecutive nights now they have killed nightjars on the park roads:through speeding & driving at night,both against Park Regulations........)
What exactly are they doing?
Recently I was stopped by an officious Park official whilst out of my vehicle picking up litter, for breaking the rules.
What rules when the park is overrun by individuals & their vast herds of cattle?
Welcome to Nairobi National Park in 2009.

The Dry Cycle Continues

Half way through December & the rain seems to have stopped. This is worrying, because it is the third rainy season in succession that we have had a deficit of rain. As a result, the Sanctuary is green, but the newly sprouting grass is already being guzzled by cattle.
Why? On the southern edge of Nairobi National Park, where we are, the Masai traditional owners of the land have sold it to outsiders, whilst still owning large herds of cattle which are sustained by grazing in the Park. This is the reason why the park will never be fenced.
The main ecological consequence is that the plains outside the park (including the Sanctuary) are heavily overgrazed. When the migratory herbivore species such as wildebeeste (we only have 300 individuals left!), zebra , eland & kongoni move out to the dispersal area of the NNP, they find no grazing & much human activity, not to mention roads, livestock, quarrying etc
What is the overall effect of these realities?
I have never seen zebra in the NNP at this time of year in 10 years of observation, (along with the gnus, kongoni & eland now currently resident in the park.)
This is because of the fact that the Park is gradually being encircled by the city but ALSO because of the progressive management of the Park in the last year by KWS, in which two-thirds of the grasslands were burnt in a controlled burn.
In other words, ecological systems are always dynamic, but few can be as interestingly dynamic as our NNP!