Meet the Team

Dr. Shivani Bhalla

Born and raised in Kenya, Shivani believes the key to lion conservation is working in partnership with local communities. She founded Ewaso Lions in 2007 to promote coexistence between carnivores and people.

Shivani’s commitment to Kenya’s lions has earned her a 2014 Whitley Award, the 2023 Whitley Gold Award with the team, the 2013 Rabinowitz-Kaplan Prize for the Next Generation in Wild Cat Conservation, the ‘Africa’s Young Women Conservation Biologist of 2009 award by the Society of Conservation Biology, the Virginia McKenna Award for Compassionate Conservation from the Born Free Foundation, and she has been named an Emerging Explorer by National Geographic.

She is a member of the IUCN Cat Specialist Group, African Lion Working Group, Kenya’s Large Carnivore Taskforce and a founding member of the Pride Lion Conservation Alliance. Shivani is also on the Advisory Board of the Pangolin Project – Kenya, and on the Sounds Right Advisory Panel. Shivani has a BSc. in Environmental Science from Lancaster University, received her MSc. in Wildlife Biology and Conservation from Edinburgh Napier University and was awarded her DPhil in Zoology from Oxford University in 2017.

Previously, she has worked for the Kenya Wildlife Service and Save The Elephants. Shivani moved to Samburu in 2002 and lives in the Ewaso Lions Camp in Westgate Conservancy.

Jeneria Lekilelei

Jeneria joined Ewaso Lions in 2008 at the young age of 19 years old. At that time, he spoke limited English and saw lions only as killers of goats and cows. Since then, Jeneria has been promoted from Lion Scout to Field Assistant to Field Operations and Community Manager and in 2019 was promoted to Director of Community Conservation. As anyone can attest, Jeneria’s knowledge of lion identification, ability to transform conflict, and vast relational skills are key to Ewaso Lions’ functioning.

In 2015, Jeneria won the Conservation Hero Award, the Wildlife Warrior Award from the Houston Zoo, won the inaugural Africa’s Ranger Award from the Paradise Foundation in 2018; he was a finalist for the Tusk Conservation Awards in 2019 and he was awarded the Explorers Club – 50 Explorers Awards and Top 100 Young African Conservation Leaders in 2021. It was Jeneria who conceived the Warrior Watch programme in 2010 and has since been responsible for engaging dozens of Samburu warriors in lion conservation. “Lions are in my bloodstream now,” he says. Jeneria and his team of warriors were featured in National Geographic in 2017 and Citizen TV in 2019.

Arzina Bhanjee

Arzina is the most meticulous accounting expert Ewaso Lions could have asked for. She has an MBA degree with specialisation in Information Technology from the University of Dalhousie (Halifax) in Canada, and helped get all of the organisation’s systems off the ground, putting Ewaso Lions on firm footing. She has valuable experience in Finance, IT and project management in both Kenya and Canada. Arzina’s story is one of determination and resilience, beating the odds to be a cornerstone of Ewaso Lions.

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Toby Otieno

Toby was born and raised in Western Kenya on the outskirts of Kisumu City. As a child, he never knew about ‘conservation’ as a career or way of life. Still, he was fascinated enough with wildlife to sneak out of school to visit a nearby wildlife sanctuary. Watching wildlife there is where his interest began.

Over the years Toby has vast research and field experience ranging from small mammals to large mammals. He started out as a volunteer intern (for over 4 years) at the National Museums of Kenya, Mammalogy Department, before proceeding to Mpala Research Centre as Research Project Field Manager and as a graduate student. Toby holds a BSc. in Wildlife Management and Conservation from the University of Nairobi, and an MSc in Wildlife Management from Karatina University.

Toby joined Ewaso Lions 6 years ago as a Research Manager where he took the lead role in all monitoring activities and research programme management in order to provide data to support our Ewaso Lions mission in ensuring our community-led conservation programmes and research activities are connected to promote continued co-existence between people and wildlife. Currently, Toby is the Director of Impact and Operations where he takes a lead role in our operations and research activities.

Evelyn Oduor

Evelyn is the epitome of being organised and caring. With a diploma certificate in Business Administration from Kenya Institute of Business Management, she has learnt to anticipate everyone’s needs, juggle everything from taking minutes to shopping for car parts to stationery and purchasing all our food, always with a playful smile on her face. Evelyn comes with a wealth of experience in administration and management from her days at British American Tobacco and Pipal Limited.

Francis Lendorop

Francis Lendorop has been with Ewaso Lions since 2008. Initially as a Scout/Ranger for many years, Francis is now our Community Liaison Manager and part of our Senior Management team. He arranges all community meetings and safaris to the Reserves, and supports our team with conflict response. Francis comes from Sukuroi in Westgate Conservancy and is a huge lover of dogs!

Elijah Lengaina

Elijah has joined us as our Camp Manager and Head Chef. Eli as commonly referred by the team leads with a calm and to-do attitude. He is responsible for overall camp administration and efficient operations management within the camp. He is keen on ensuring that hygiene, safety and sanitation standards are adhered to. Elijah is passionate about excellent service and has a flair for making Italian food. He is keen on mentorship and training the kitchen team on best kitchen management practices.

Munteli Lalparasaroi

Munteli Lalparasaroi have been the driving force behind our Mama Simba (“mother of lions”) programme. Munteli, who comes from Sasaab village, was eager to get involved in conservation and approached us asking for training and education, leading to the creation of the Mama Simba programme (together with Mparasaroi). In 2023, Munteli took on a new role as Mama Simba Manager, and is responsible for training and mentoring all the Mama Simba ladies, as well as development of the programme especially with regard to conservation and cultural workshops, wildlife safaris, lion habitat recovery activities and the “bush school”. Over the years, Munteli has become an incredible spokeswoman for lions and and is a real inspiration to many around her.

In 2017, Munteli became the first woman driver in the region and is often seen in her Landcruiser driving through Westgate Conservancy!

Matthew Muruana

Matthew joined Ewaso Lions in 2022 as the Research & Impact Manager where he uses Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) and Survey 123 to collect data on lion-human conflicts and to conduct lion monitoring. He also collects and analyses data on the interactions between biodiversity and infrastructure and how this impacts wildlife.

Matthew has vast research experience from working with Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF) as a Programme Officer to using conservation technology tools such as GiraffeSpotter and Wild-ID to conduct photographic mark-recapture surveys on giraffe populations in the Central and Western region. He holds a B. Sc. in Range Management from the University of Nairobi and is currently completing his M.A. in Biodiversity and Natural Resource Management from the University of Nairobi.

Evanson Kariuki

Everyone describes Evanson as a hands-on and an all-in kind of person, always willing to lend a helping hand and literally do the heavy lifting to get projects off the ground. While he was hired as the Conservation Programmes Assistant, he has quickly risen to officer level, overseeing the Mama Simba programme, running our Lion Kids Camp and mentoring students through the The Jeremy Lucas Education Fund (JLEF). Evanson has a Masters in Wildlife Management and worked in the Maasai Mara in various capacities, no stranger to the conservation and tourism world.

Laikos Letupukwa

Letupukwa has transitioned from Camp Cook (he was our cook for 5 years!) to Research Officer, to Regional Coordinator and in 2024 to Lion Manager. He coordinates his team in lion monitoring and patrols and data entry, and now plays a management role in all lion related issues. He is very passionate about all the lions! He comes from Ngilai, Wamba in Samburu County and has been working with us since 2011.

Thomas Ekiru

Thomas is a Turkana man from the Ngare Mara region in Isiolo County. Thomas monitors lions in the area, collects data on human-wildlife conflict, engages with communities and supervises the Ngare Mara Conservation Group together with others. Thomas excels at calming tensions when local community members lose their livestock and works with community members to reduce conflict. Thomas also is a key participant in all stakeholder meetings that take place in his home area including discussions on wildlife corridors across the region. Thomas is assisted by Samuel Lokitela who also comes from the Ngare Mara region.

Lkirana Lerimara

Lerimara previously helped build our camp in Samburu and was trained by Letupukwa in cooking. He has since moved from being our camp cook to become the camp caretaker. He is a fantastic handy-man to have around camp and takes pride in taking care of the entire camp. Kura and Nanyori can often be found in his company. Lerimara comes from Sasaab village in Westgate Conservancy.

Warriors

The warriors come from seven conservancies where we work. They include;

1. Lkenes Lekalkuli
2. Lpanini Lemarle
3. Rutanai Lekamario
4. Lekoomet Solomon
5. Loitemu Lekiliamo
6. Rumari Lolchuragi
7. Josphat Lesiil

Stephen Sanang’i

Stephen is a young man from Mukogodo Maasai in Lekurruki conservancy. He works within the Lekurruki landscape conducting daily patrols, collecting data on wildlife and monitoring lion movement. He also works with the community by reporting and resolving lion conflict cases when they occur and attends community meetings and talks about lions. Stephen works with neighboring conservancies that include: Il Ngwesi, Leparua and Nanapisho to protect wildlife corridors that connect the conservancies.

Joseph Jisana

Jisana is from the ll Laikipiak Maasai ‘People of wildlife’ based in ll Ngwesi conservancy in Isiolo County. As the assistant regional coordinator, Jisana monitors lions in the area, collects data on human-wildlife conflict and engages with communities on conservation issues. He represents Ewaso Lions in stakeholder and partner organisations meetings that take place in his home area. He monitors lions that come from Ewaso Lions’ study area and informs partners on the same. Jisana loves his job and is happy to help his community in promoting coexistence with lions.

Mama Simba

They all hail from 6 villages in Westgate Conservancy. They include;

1. Namangin Lengurde
2. Njamison Lelenkeju
3. Ntimasi Lelenkeju
4. Reune Letabare
5. Mpiriwan Leremore
6. Njukunye Leringato
7. Apese Lekonte
8. Lucia Lekalkuli
9. Naantare Lenakae
10. Nilima Lenaisula
11. Nalpashe Leripe
12. Makaton Lopuranai
13. Siriano Lepeta
14. Nakini Lelenkeju
15. Nantuk Lekumoisa
16. Koisa Lolkiningo
17. Elizabeth Lenamaita
18. Rally Lecharkole

Samuel Lokitela

Samuel is a Turkana man from the Ngare Mara region in Isiolo County, who went to school and was raised in Ol Donyiro. Samuel works with Thomas and together, they monitor lion in the area, collect data on human-wildlife conflict, and engage with communities. Samuel was one of the key trainees to head up our adult literacy programme and has since been teaching classes in his region opening up a whole new avenue for us to a talk to people about coexistence in a practical way.

Semees Lempagaani

Lempagaani joined Ewaso Lions in 2017 as a security guard. He comes from Sukuroi village in Westgate Conservancy. He is quiet and methodical, and as was found to have a flair for cooking, which has transitioned him into a new role of Assistant Camp cook and now he is the Camp cook. Lempagaani can be found baking bread at 4am and preparing special meals for the field team or anyone else in need of his services, always in a calm and sincere way. He keeps the clean kitchen at all times and takes pride in all the meals he prepares for the team.

Moses Lesumante

Moses has taken up the job of camp cook with a keen interest to learn and improve his culinary skills through hands on training from the camp manager. He is eager to create new meals that will uplift the taste buds of the team at camp through continuous coaching.

Lkasian Leringato

Lkasian was a young boy we met in 2017 when he attended our Lion Kids Camp (LKC). He enjoyed his experience so much that he changed his name and applied again to come to another LKC the following year! We identified him as a clear leader and someone that had huge potential in conservation. We kept a close eye on Lkasian, brimming with pride when he was the first herding child ever to take up the microphone at our big 10-year celebration. From late last year, we were there to witness the cross over from boy to warrior. It was a real honour and privilege. Lkasian now spends time in camp- singing as a warrior, putting on his daily ochre- whilst being mentored by the team everyday. He is now going out for lion patrols in the landscape and we can’t wait to see what the future holds.

Painoti Letabare

Painoti hails from Westgate Conservancy and has joined the Ewaso Lions team as the Mama Simba teacher where she is coordinating our Mama Simba programme literacy activities in concert with Evanson, Munteli and Mparasaroi. Painoti recently finished her studies at Chester Teachers Training College where she pursued a certificate course in Primary Teacher Education (P1). She studied at Kisima High School and Lpus Leluai Primary School where she was the top girl in the school and Kisima High School. During her free time, Painoti loves reading and telling stories. We are excited to have Painoti join the team and scale the Mama Simba programme to greater heights.

John Lekalaile

 John was born and raised in the Westgate Community Conservancy in Samburu. He holds a diploma in  Cooperatives Management from the Cooperative University of Kenya. During his attachment period at Westgate Community Conservancy, he developed a passion for wildlife conservation which saw him apply for an internship at Ewaso Lions.

 John started working as a Research Assistant at Ewaso Lions in 2021 and despite having a different background, he developed his research skills. Currently, he works as our Research and Impact Coordinator where collects and analyses data on human-lion conflicts, lion monitoring and sightings from the data he receives from our lion patrol team. He also creates awareness about lion corridors and dispersal areas which enables the community to consider these areas during their dry season settlement plans. John is a very resourceful member due to his skills in conflict mitigation and resolution. He is able to calm down the community whenever they have lost their livestock to lions.

Jeremiah Letoole

Jeremiah Letoole has been with Ewaso Lions since 2008. Initially as a Scout/Ranger for many years, he now assists the Central Lion Team with all lion monitoring in Samburu National Reserve and Kalama Conservancy. He also provides support during any lion conflict incidences. Jeremiah is from Ngutuk Ongiron in Westgate Conservancy. He is also well-known as one of the team’s best darts players!

Leshula Lenakae

Leshula Lenakae was initially a Scout/Ranger for a number of years. He now assists the Northern Lion Team with all lion monitoring in Westgate Conservancy. He also provides support during any lion conflict incidences. Leshula is from Naisunyai in Westgate Conservancy.

Chune Lolmongoi

Chune has worked with Ewaso Lions since 2022. He initially volunteered at our Warriors Camp in Remote for many months. He then moved to our Main Camp and we could see immediately how much he loved dogs! He now takes care of Kura and Nanyori – ensures they are well fed and takes them on walks daily. Chune is often seeing playing with Nanyori and patting Kura endlessly. They all have a very strong bond!

Grace Naimalumalu

Grace has worked at Ewaso Lions since 2022 and takes care of camp facilities. She has also completed a course in Human Resources from Mt. Kenya University in 2024 and is supporting Evelyn by taking on more HR roles within our Camp. You will always find Grace in Camp with a big smile on her face!

Nicholas Lesootia

Nicholas comes from Archer’s Post, Kalama Conservancy in Samburu County. He joined the team in 2016 through Ewaso Lion’s Jeremy Lucas Education Fund (JLEF) as a high school scholarship recipient. Driven by a desire to address the challenges facing Kenya’s wildlife, he later pursued a diploma in Wildlife Management at the Wildlife Research and Training Institute (WRTI). His dedication and commitment to excellence earned him a distinction upon his graduation. He is currently the Kura’s Pride Officer, enduring the health and welfare of domestic carnivores in our community. This entails planning the day to day running of the domestic animal mobile veterinary unit as well as leading community engagement on domestic carnivore health.

Mparasaroi Lemantaan & Rebecca Lenangetai

Mparasaroi and Rebecca support Munteli in all aspects of running the Mama Simba programme. Mparasaroi was one of the driving forces behing the creation of Mama Simba, together with Munteli. She is a fantastic spokeswoman for all things to do with to conservation and her community. Rebecca brings in a tremendous amount of energy in to the programme and excels in Swahili!

David Letoiye

David was born and raised in the Westgate Community Conservancy in Samburu. He applied for an internship at Ewaso Lions in 2021 and in 2022 supports the Research team as our Research and Impact Assistant. David is in charge of recording all conflict incidences and transports livestock owners to the local wildlife stations to apply for compensation following loss of livestock to lions. David is a very
resourceful member due to his skills in conflict mitigation and resolution. He is able to calm down the community whenever they have lost their livestock to lions.

Kura

Kura – meaning “Vote” in Kiswahili – turned up in our camp on the day of Kenya’s National Elections in 2013. The pup was lost, limping, and had clearly been walking through the night searching for some safety. He is a permanent camp member. He loves and follows Jeneria everywhere, and sleeps on one of his 8 beds around camp. He has become very protective of us all and has warned us of poisonous snakes, leopards nearby, and loudly announces any visitor to camp.

Nanyori

Nanyori joined our team in July 2017. Jeneria rescued her from a village where the owners were struggling to feed her. It took a while for Kura to accept Nanyori but he did and both dogs now play together every evening on their favourite sand pile. Nanyori loves everyone, is very social and can be found running behind Kura often or sleeping under Evanson’s or Lerimara’s feet.

Mercy Wanjiru

Mercy has worked as our Bookkeeper since 2022. Prior to working at Ewaso Lions, she worked at Colourprint Limited in Nairobi. She works closely with Arzina on all financial operations of Ewaso Lions.

Lemeen Lalampaa

Lemeen was one of the original Warriors who joined Warrior Watch in 2010.  Lemeen comes from Naisunyai and has often dealt with difficult conflict situations, supporting Jeneria when things became too challenging. He has been known to run for kilometres to attend to conflict quickly. Lemeen is now an elder and leads the Lion Governors team.

Martin Arunye

Martin, who comes from Ngare Mara, is part of the Southern Lion Team. He covers areas including Buffalo Springs and Shaba National Reserves, and the Conservancies in Isiolo County (Nasuulu, Leparua, Nakuprat). Martin is often accompanied by Thomas and Samuel.