Kenya’s government and a group of donors have signed Thamani Asili, a US$160m conservation finance programme. Donors provide US$80m and the government matches that amount over ten years.
The deal
- Structure: a Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) model, which ties the release of funds to agreed government policy commitments.
- Parties: the Government of Kenya and a donor group that includes philanthropies linked to the Walton and Cargill families. The Nature Conservancy helped develop the plan.
- Scope: 17.3 million hectares, starting with four regions including Tsavo and the Maasai Mara area bordering Tanzania.
- Date: details announced on 21 October 2026.
Why it matters
PFP structures turn conservation into a long-dated, conditional financing commitment with policy covenants, an increasingly common template for sovereign nature finance. Legal advisers were not disclosed.
Sources
- Kenya seals $160m conservation finance deal, TimesLIVE (Reuters), 21 October 2026
