Kuki Gallmann is an Italian-born environmentalist who became a Kenyan citizen and founded the Laikipia nature conservancy at Ol Ari Nyiro (meaning "place of great springs" in the local Maa language), an area on the edge of the Rift Valley, in the Laikipia region of northern Kenya. What was once a ranch is now a protected area that is home to a number of wild animal species, including elephants, lions and cheetahs. Gallmann has had to contend with numerous incursions onto her land by herders fleeing drought and, more recently, in March 2017, she suffered an attack in which she was wounded and which put the wildlife of the area at risk.

Who is Kuki Gallmann

Kuki Gallmann founded the Gallmann memorial foundation in 1983 following the deaths of her husband and son, with whom she had moved to Africa in 1972. In order to "create something positive out of a tragedy", she devoted her life to protecting the 35,000 hectares of land that the family had acquired in Laikipia. As a pioneering environmentalist, she sold the livestock, gave up the ranching business and embarked on a mission to unite people and nature by supporting the development of local communities and the protection of biodiversity.

Through the adoption of the Mukutan conservancy Redd+ project, the Gallmann foundation helps to secure a sustainable, long-term revenue stream for the protection of biodiversity in the area and for the education of local communities in the preservation of flora and fauna. In addition, through the Laikipia highland games — an annual event that brings together the nine tribes of the valley in a sporting competition — the foundation promotes peace and coexistence among the tribes.

Gallmann's work as a writer, in particular as the author of the bestseller Sognando l'Africa, which was also adapted into a film starring Kim Basinger, and her tireless commitment as an environmentalist have earned her international fame and esteem.

The fight for Africa's wildlife

The Gallmann memorial foundation has been recognised as a vital organisation in the protection of biodiversity in the region — so much so that the International Union for Conservation of Nature (Iucn) has designated it a biodiversity hotspot and the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep) has granted it protected area status. Over the past thirty years the former ranch has been home to a large number of endangered species, and Gallmann herself has led the fight against poachers, whose greed has pushed the African elephant to the brink of extinction. The battle against the ivory trade gained greater attention when the country burned the largest quantity of confiscated ivory ever recorded:

"We must make sure that the world gets the message loud and clear that ivory has no value. Burning something carries the meaning of an ending and a new beginning. A fire can be purifying and it can be destructive."

Kenya and the drought

However, the severe drought — which led President Uhuru Kenyatta to declare a state of emergency in February — has caused a surge in insecurity across the region. Ol Ari Nyiro has become a flashpoint in the conflict, as it is one of the few places in Laikipia that has water, thanks to the efforts made on behalf of biodiversity, forests and uncontaminated water sources.

Herders fleeing the drought arrived in the area, moving thousands of animals without authorisation onto the private land and brandishing weapons and fire when confronted with what locals describe as an invasion. Residents say that politicians were inciting herdsmen and even armed groups to seize the land by force, in the hope of winning support ahead of the August elections.

30 people have been killed and the authorities have declared Laikipia a dangerous area, deploying troops to restore public order. Livestock also poses a threat to biodiversity, as it destroys vegetation, causing erosion, spreading disease among animals, and polluting or draining water sources.

The attack on Kuki Gallmann in March 2017

On 29 March, one of the most important lodges in the Laikipia nature conservancy, the Mukutan Retreat Lodge, was burned down by illegal herders who also shot at Gallmann's daughter, Sveva, who fortunately escaped unharmed. The fire also destroyed four thousand hectares of vegetation.

The situation worsened on 23 April, when Kuki Gallmann was investigating a new case of arson on her land and fell victim to an ambush. She was shot twice, in the stomach. Gallmann was airlifted to hospital by helicopter and taken into surgery. Her daughter Sveva issued a statement in which she said that when her mother was shot there were no cattle in sight, and described the situation as "a well-planned invasion by an armed group in the region, with the aim of destroying the good relations we have with our neighbouring pastoralists."

"If we change our attitude towards the environment and towards others there is no need for wars and conflicts. There is nothing they can do to frighten or discourage me. They will not succeed in changing the shape of the hills."

Tensions in the region remain high, and the polarisation is compounded by the fact that some attribute events to a white elite greedily holding onto land that belongs to the marginalised black population. Others, by contrast, attribute them to corrupt politicians who are fanning the flames of armed invasions of private land for personal and political gain. In any case, what is needed is unity to confront the oppressive drought and to carry forward Kuki Gallmann's legacy of protecting Kenya's biodiversity.

Translated by Camilla Soldati