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Masai Mara Guide School

Ron Beaton of Rekero fame sets up Koiyaki Guiding School in Kenya’s Masai Mara.

Increasingly you ask to see some of the community projects which we or your hosts on the ground, are involved with. There are a number of these, but one project Aardvark has been actively supporting is the Koiyaki Guiding School that opened in July with its first 23 students. This is the first of its kind in Kenya’s Masai Mara, and has been set up by Ron Beaton of Rekero fame. At present 85% of the Mara’s guides are outsiders, and this project is designed to help the local communities share their knowledge and the income from tourism.

Students have to pass an initial interview before being accepted onto the one year course. This costs $1,950 which can be subsidized by bursaries of up to $1,800. Students then need to raise the final $150 themselves. Often the only way this can be achieved is by selling a family steer. Since cattle are prized possessions amongst the Masai, this helps to prove a candidate’s intent and determination to follow the course.

We have provided one full bursary and our current sponsored student is Micah Kileku. We will keep you updated on his progress but if you want to see more about the guide school and its development, have a look at www.koiyaki.com.

One client who travelled to Rekero earlier this year donated 23 pairs of binoculars to the school which means that every student has their own pair. To get the binoculars out to Kenya a set at a time, we needed the help of our clients which they all gladly gave. Do get in touch with us (or via the above website) if you are interested in finding out more about how to help.

It is hoped that this project will in time help to stabilize the politics in the Masai Mara, through creating more responsible jobs in middle and senior management for the local Masai people who will in turn benefit their extended families. It is encouraging that three of the students are Masai women: a real first in this male dominated society.

The School will also look at other means of preserving the Masai Mara ecosystem. For example, it is hoped that a pilot project can develop the manufacture of grass briquettes to replace the use of traditional charcoal for cooking, establish beekeeping as a cottage industry and build a bottling plant for local mineral water, removing the need to transport water from Nairobi for the lodges and camps of the Mara.



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