Scottish Maasai Power Walk in Amboseli

The Scottish Maasai Power Walk, which started at Elewana Tortilis Camp and ended at Esiteti Primary School, achieved its goal to raise money for the installation of solar power in the school’s new library.

The general managers of the Amboseli safari camp were accompanied by guests and staff, plus a number of Maasai from the local community, who power walked a distance of 10 km through the Amboseli wilderness.

In many remote areas of Kenya such as Amboseli, access to electricity is unavailable or too costly to use. Many rural households still depend on kerosene for lanterns and firewood for cooking.

With climate-change dominating the headlines and the demand for countries and industries to adopt sustainable energy solutions, Kenya has committed to reducing its carbon dioxide emissions by 30 percent by 2030.

Decreasing the use of diesel and petrol machines and easing pressure on forests by using less charcoal, and developing more solar power systems will not only alleviate the energy problems faced by rural communities, but also help mitigate the adverse effects of climate change in Kenya.

In light of this, the general managers of Elewana Tortilis Camp raised over US$5000 through the Scottish Maasai Power Walk, a GoFundMe campaign and donations at the lodge to install solar power in the local school so the children can enjoy the benefits of sustainable energy in their new library, power for the computers, and better lighting for reading and learning.