Organizational Capacity Development for Taita Ranches

The Challenge

Ranches within the Tsavo landscape play a critical role in conservation and local economics. However, key institutions like the Kasigau Ranching Company DA and Tsavo Wildlife Conservancy (Taita Ranch) faced operational gaps in their management structures. To ensure long-term sustainability and financial prosperity, these organizations required a rigorous assessment of their internal systems to identify weaknesses and develop robust frameworks for continuity.

The Solution

Funded by the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), Mazido International implemented a comprehensive Organizational Capacity Assessment (OCA) and development program. Led by our Executive Director Mr. John Mlamba and lead consultant Rhoda Mwashigadi, the project was executed in two strategic phases:

• Phase 1 (Assessment): We engaged ranch directors and staff to conduct a deep-dive analysis of their current activities, identifying specific operational and management gaps.
• Phase 2 (Improvement): We developed tailored Institutional Improvement Plans (IIP) and conducted high-level training to equip the boards with new skills in governance and financial management.

The Impact

This initiative transformed how these critical conservancies operate, moving them from ad-hoc management to strategic, data-driven governance:

Strategic Frameworks Developed

We successfully delivered Institutional Improvement Plans (IIP) for both ranches, providing a clear roadmap for their financial and management prosperity.

MERL Systems Installed

To ensure accountability, we established a Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting, and Learning (MERL) framework. This allows the ranches to track specific intervention measures for every gap identified during the assessment.

Governance Strengthened

The Board of Directors for both Kasigau and Taita Ranches received specialized training in new management areas, significantly enhancing their capacity to oversee sustainable, continuity-guaranteed organizations.