Context
Laikipia Conservancies Association is a membership organisation connecting a network of conservancies across the Laikipia landscape, one of Kenya’s most ecologically and socially complex regions. The landscape is home to critical wildlife populations, private ranches, community conservancies, pastoralist communities, and a web of conservation, governance, and policy interests. Working here means navigating diverse priorities, unpredictable environmental pressures, and high-stakes conservation challenges.
The Work
My work with LCA focused on translating this complexity into clarity, using communications and engagement to strengthen the organisation’s position as a unifying backbone for conservation. I took technical reports, policies, and landscape-level data — everything from land rights issues to livelihoods challenges — and turned them into narratives that were relatable, digestible, and actionable for both communities and partners. The goal was always to create awareness, educate, and inspire collective action while making LCA’s role visible and credible across multiple audiences.
Brand And Communications
I designed and implemented communications strategies for LCA and supported member conservancies to develop their own branding and engagement plans. Every logo, vehicle wrap, office signage, t-shirt, flyer, presentation, and merchandise item was designed in line with brand strategy and quality standards. I worked closely with an international consultancy team, combining local insight with global creative expertise to strengthen LCA’s digital marketing strategy.
Events and advocacy were central to the organisation’s work. I organised, attended, and designed materials for high-level engagements, including Members Day and meetings with senior government officials like Security CS Kithure Kindiki, Laikipia Governor Joshua Irungu, Lands PS Zacharia Njeru, and Tourism CS. Each interaction required careful positioning and narrative framing to support advocacy, policy engagement, and relationship building while keeping the messaging neutral, professional, and effective.
Capacity To Support Livelihoods
Community engagement extended beyond messaging to capacity-building. I coordinated sustainability and skills development projects across member conservancies, including media training, digital marketing courses, and educational programs that enabled conservancies to market their lodges, manage operations, and generate revenue. In every campaign, I crafted, tested, and modelled messaging across digital and offline channels to ensure impact, engagement, and understanding while converting complex technical terms into language communities could relate to and act upon.
Grants Implementation
I collaborated with USAID and other partners to execute campaigns and projects, ensuring reporting and communications aligned with donor requirements while remaining authentic to LCA’s mission. I worked with the Monitoring and Evaluation team to collect, manage, and translate data into stories that resonated with donors and communities. I also contributed to crafting carbon communications strategies as a member of the carbon committee, supporting a landscape-level carbon project across 20 private and community conservancies.
Conclusion
Every element of my work blended strategy with execution. I coordinated and procured PR, branding, and communications consultants, monitored media and campaign effectiveness, and offered technical and IT support where needed, ensuring that every intervention — from storytelling to stakeholder engagement — reinforced LCA’s credibility, visibility, and fundability. The work was about creating cohesion in a complex landscape, making conservation tangible, connecting people to place, and ensuring that every story, campaign, and engagement reflected LCA’s purpose and impact.