At Ewaso Lions, through community-led conservation, we have seen how strategic impact happens when people who know their neighbours, understand local concerns, and have earned their trust lead the conversation.
That is exactly what Kura’s Pride is building in Westgate Community Conservancy through the Kura’s Pride Ambassadors.
Meet the Kura’s Pride Ambassadors
Our Kura’s Pride programme has welcomed eight new Ambassadors: Nyati, Nakwatu, Sharon, Nosurai, Meeme, Njuana, Stellah, and Doris. Women drawn from all locations across Westgate Community Conservancy.
These are women engrained in the daily life of their communities. They understand how livestock is important to their communities. They know which families have dogs and cats. They know which households have questions or concerns about their animals. They know how to have the difficult conversations with patience, with trust, and with cultural fluency that no outside team can replicate.
As Kura’s Pride Ambassadors, they will be accompanying our Domestic Animal Mobile Veterinary Unit (MVU) on field vaccination drives across Westgate Community Conservancy, speaking directly with community members about the importance of vaccinations and responsible animal care. Their presence transforms what might feel like a veterinary visit into a community-led conversation that is built on relationship and not instruction.
824 Vaccinations in 4 Days
The impact of this approach showed up clearly in the numbers from a mid-April vaccination drive organised this year across Westgate.
In just four days, the MVU vaccinated 824 dogs and cats against rabies and distemper, a result that reflects not just logistical efficiency but genuine community trust and participation.
Rabies remains one of the leading causes of human death in rural Kenya, and distemper poses serious risks to both domestic animals and wildlife. When animals in pastoral landscapes go unvaccinated, the consequences ripple outward: to livestock, to the predators that share those landscapes, and to the communities that depend on both.
Healthy animals mean healthier communities. Healthier communities mean a landscape where people, livestock, and predators, including lions, have a better chance of coexisting.
The MVU operates through a partnership between Ewaso Lions, the Samburu County Department of Veterinary Services, Animal Care Centre, VetinWild, and the Foundation for International Aid to Animals. This coalition brings together government, NGOs, and specialist veterinary expertise in the service of community-led conservation.
The addition of the Kura’s Pride Ambassadors strengthens that partnership from the ground up, ensuring that the communities being served are not just recipients of veterinary care but active participants in it.
