President William Ruto has announced the deployment of advanced AI-enabled cameras, drones, and aerial surveillance systems to safeguard the newly expanded Tsavo West Rhino Sanctuary, now recognized as the largest rhino sanctuary in the world.
Speaking at the commissioning event in Ngulia, Taita Taveta County, Ruto emphasized Kenya’s global responsibility in conserving the endangered Eastern Black Rhino, which constitutes nearly 78 percent of the world’s remaining population.
“We have in our custody nearly 78% of the global population of Eastern Black Rhino; this is not simply our conservation achievement; it is a sovereign responsibility of global significance,” Ruto said.
To protect the sanctuary, the government has deployed high-tech surveillance systems, including drones, AI-enabled cameras, aerial monitoring, long-range network connectivity, encrypted digital radio networks, patrol vehicles, and over 300 security personnel. A fixed-wing aircraft is also on standby for rapid response to threats.
“We have built more than 250 km of upgraded fencing, 40 new ranger houses and operational bases, open-access roads, catlines, firebreaks, and expanded water infrastructure across the landscape,” the President added.
Through the Kenya Rhino Range Expansion initiative, the government has invested over $4.7 million (Ksh. 607 million) to strengthen Tsavo’s protection, creating one of the most advanced wildlife security operations on the continent.
Ruto explained that the sanctuary now spans more than 3,200 square kilometres, a move aimed at reducing congestion that has historically threatened rhino populations. Over 80 percent of Kenya’s black rhinos had been living in overcrowded sanctuaries, limiting breeding potential and increasing territorial conflicts.
Kenya’s rhino population once plummeted to fewer than 20 animals in 1989 due to poaching, drought, and land pressure, prompting the creation of the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) to safeguard the species.
Before the expansion, authorities conducted what Ruto described as the largest rhino monitoring and tagging exercise ever, safely immobilizing 90 rhinos and fitting 89 with digital identifiers and modern tracking devices to enable real-time monitoring of their movements, health, and security.
“The improved space, enhanced security, and reduced density now allow us to raise the national black rhino population growth rate from 5% to 8% annually,” Ruto said.
He added that the sanctuary expansion supports Kenya’s conservation targets: 1,450 rhinos by 2030 and 2,000 by 2037. Currently, Kenya is home to approximately 2,100 rhinos, including 1,060 black rhinos, 1,040 southern white rhinos, and the last two northern white rhinos in the world.
Beyond wildlife protection, Ruto highlighted the sanctuary’s socio-economic impact. The project is generating jobs in ranger deployment, surveillance, construction, logistics, and roadworks, and by 2030, it is projected to create over 18,000 jobs and generate more than $45 million (Ksh. 6 billion) in conservancy and tourism revenue.
“We are redefining conservation in Kenya, not as a cost to taxpayers but as a national investment class. We will ensure that the community are not spectators in this journey but stakeholders in Kenya’s green future,” the President said.
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