Kenyan courts hear petition to halt luxury lodges threatening Maasai Mara wildlife

Conservation groups have asked Kenya's High Court to stop new and expanded tourist camps in the Maasai Mara, saying they breach a 2023 moratorium and endanger the wildebeest migration.

A coalition of NGOs—including the East Africa Law Society, Natural Justice, JustAct and the Africa Centre for Peace and Human Rights—has lodged a petition in Kenya’s High Court to block further construction and expansion of tourist accommodations within the Maasai Mara National Reserve. The filing targets the Ritz-Carlton Maasai Mara Safari Camp and other projects by Marriott International, Lazizi Mara Limited, The Safari Collection Ltd and Minor Hotels Ltd, alleging violations of the 2023 Maasai Mara Management Plan’s moratorium and the absence of a valid environmental impact assessment.

Plaintiffs also seek a comprehensive audit of all lodges operating in protected zones, warning that continued development threatens the iconic wildebeest migration, which has fallen dramatically in recent years. Government agencies such as NEMA and the Kenya Wildlife Service defend the projects as located in approved tourism investment zones, while conservationists and economists argue that habitat loss could undermine the reserve’s tourism revenue and Kenya’s broader economy. The case highlights the tension between Kenya’s lucrative safari industry and the need to preserve one of Africa’s most celebrated ecosystems.