Tourism Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano is at the center of growing concern after it emerged that Kenya is moving ahead with a plan to send a group of cheetahs to India under a quiet, little-known translocation agreement.
The decision, which has already advanced to detailed discussions with New Delhi, involves exporting between eight and ten cheetahs by 2026. Yet no public explanation has been offered by her ministry, raising sharp questions about why such a significant wildlife matter is being handled with secrecy rather than national consultation.
India is seeking the animals as part of its troubled Project Cheetah, an initiative meant to rebuild the country’s extinct cheetah population. The project has been celebrated politically but has suffered major operational failures.
Eleven of the twenty cheetahs brought from Namibia and South Africa have died, largely due to heat stress, insufficient prey, and environmental incompatibility.
Despite these failures, India is pushing for more animals to keep the program alive, which has led it to Kenya.
Reports from The Times of India indicate that government-to-government talks with Nairobi are already at an advanced stage.
Kenya is estimated to have between eight hundred and twelve hundred adult cheetahs, populations that are already under pressure in Maasai Mara, Samburu, and Tsavo.
Habitat loss, poaching risks, and intensifying human wildlife conflict continue to threaten predator stability. Conservationists argue that exporting wild cheetahs under these conditions is not only ill-timed but potentially dangerous. They warn that removing even a small number could destabilize predator dynamics in sensitive ecosystems.
For many, the most troubling issue is the lack of transparency from CS Miano’s ministry, which has remained completely silent even as international reports confirm Kenya’s involvement.
The secrecy has fueled public frustration. Conservation groups say the deal appears to have been negotiated behind closed doors with no Environmental Impact Assessment, no disclosure of terms, and no engagement with local experts or communities.
They question whether Kenya is acting under diplomatic pressure or whether there is a clear conservation benefit for the country. Some warn that if Kenya proceeds without openness, the move could damage its global reputation as a leader in wildlife protection.
India, for its part, is determined to diversify the genetics of its imported cheetahs in hopes of improving survival outcomes. But experts argue that adding more animals will not solve the underlying ecological problems in Indian parks. Without fixing issues like prey scarcity, extreme heat, and territorial stress, more translocations may simply result in more losses.
What should be a scientific decision is instead unfolding as a political project, and Kenya appears to be stepping into it without sufficient public scrutiny.
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