Our Mission & Vision

The Maasai are a proud and resilient, semi-nomadic tribe living in southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. Cows have always been highly sacred part of Maasai culture and a main source of income (trading in exchange for other goods and also to sell cow products like milk – and also food) and so their life has been centred around herding cattle and goats. The warrior is also a key part of the culture and Maasai men are trained from a young age to hunt game and protect their families and herds from animal predators. 

Before European settlers arrived and colonised many countries in Africa, the Maasai occupied the majority of the fertile lands and harmoniously co-existed with the wildlife here for hundreds of years. Following two treaties which were signed in 1904 and 1911 by a few members of the tribe, the Maasai lost around two-thirds of their land and were relocated to less fertile parts of southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. Despite this, the Maasai have retained most of their traditions and unique way of life and have not adapted to more modern lifestyles. One of the biggest threats to the Maasai people today is the continual development of Kenya and the transformation of rural areas to accommodate a growing population. As more land is developed, the Maasai –and their livestock and neighbouring wildlife – are being pushed out. 

The Laikipia Maasai are made up of 9 separate Group Ranches (communities) located In Kenya, north of Nairobi and Mount Kenya on the eastern escarpment of the Rift Valley, where wildlife densities rank second only to the Masai Mara, but more endangered species can be seen here than anywhere else in East Africa.. 

The Laikipia Maasai live in harmony with this land and its wildlife but are surrounded by a number of other tribes, namely the Kikuyu, Kalenjin, Turkana, Meru, Samburu, and Boran. Many of these surrounding tribes use guns, and in recent years the Maasai have been under attack from some of these neighbouring tribes seeking their livestock and pastures. As part of their values, the Maasai do not carry guns and so instead sought peaceful outcomes via negotiations and partnerships with the police and politicians.