Mpala History and Governance

An extremely brief history of Kenya reminds us that the country is the cradle of human civilization. Humans have been living in Kenya for more than two million years. Well prior to European colonialism, Kenya had a long history of trade and migration within the African continent and with South Asia and the Middle East. During colonialism, desirable land was taken from local populations and granted to British subjects and foreigners. Privatization of land, in line with colonial law, meant that many Kenyans were forcibly removed from land on which they were dwelling or prevented from accessing land that was understood to be communal property. 

The legacy of that land allocation was enormous as title to land granted during British times continues to be respected in post-colonial Kenya. As a result, land ownership continues to be highly concentrated among elites. Laikipia County, where Mpala is based, has a particular history of land disenfranchisement. In 1919, the colonial government granted land to “pure European” British subjects who had served in an imperial army through the Soldier Settler Scheme. In total, over 2 million acres was distributed in this program (in addition to the many acres already owned by Europeans), much of it in what is now Laikipia County. A number of individuals used this land for farming or ranching. 

A century later, many of these plots have been consolidated so that today a small number of individuals and families own a significant proportion of Laikipia’s 2.5 million acres. Mpala is one of those consolidated properties. For context, it is three times the size of the island of Manhattan. Many of our neighbors have holdings similar in size. 

Today Mpala is the only research or education-focused land-holding entity in Laikipia, and one of the few properties in the region with a Black Kenyan CEO. However, this distinction is sometimes overlooked by critics of the current land ownership regime given its origin as a ranch owned by foreigners. As a result, Mpala is not immune to local and regional politics. 

While some might consider establishing a scientific and conservation research center in Kenya as a noble venture, this concept itself comes out of a colonial tradition. Across the global South, dozens of biological field stations were set up foreign governments and institutions of higher learning. These centers are part of a colonial tradition which extracts biological materials, artifacts, and knowledge that become the physical and intellectual property of those in the global North. 

The critique is that some scholars approach places like Mpala through an outdated modality that has been described as colonial or “parachute” scholarship. A common story involves a researcher from a high-income country swooping into a lower or middle-income nation for a period of days or weeks to collect data, gather samples, or conduct experiments, and then returning home for analysis and publication in prestigious journals. 

Despite these barriers, there are some notable Kenyan scholars who were trained at Mpala and efforts underway to increase capacity building among local scientists and scholars. The most well-known is Paula Kahumbu *02, arguably Kenya’s leading conservationist and a member of the Princeton-Mpala Advisory Council. Mpala has recently developed an initiative to raise graduate fellowship funds to fully support two Kenyan master’s degree students.

Mpala has a complex governance structure and consists of three legal entities:

• The first is the Mpala Research Centre (MRC), a registered Kenyan non-governmental organization founded in 1994. The MRC board is made up of trustees appointed by the five partner institutions. In 2017, the other partners asked Princeton to take on the role of managing director of MRC.  

• The second entity is the Mpala Wildlife Foundation (MWF), a U.S.-based nonprofit that stewards the land for the primary use of MRC to conduct research.

• The third entity is Mpala Ranch Limited (MRL) which is a for-profit Kenyan entity that maintains the land, physical operations, and operates the cattle ranch and health dispensary. MRL is controlled by MWF.

There are seven contiguous parcels of land that constitute the 48,000-acre Mpala property. These properties are registered to MWF and MRL as 99-year land leases (originally 999 years land leases). In 2020, the trustees of MWF (who were primarily friends and associates of George Small) approached Princeton to become the managing director of MWF. After extensive due diligence, the Princeton University board of trustees approved the request and the status became legal in 2021.

In 2021, Princeton established the Princeton-Mpala Advisory Council (PMAC). Like other advisory councils at the University, PMAC aims to garner high-level support and engagement for Mpala and advises Princeton through the Vice Provost of International Affairs, who chairs both the MRC and MWF boards. We are in discussion about forming a Princeton-Mpala Faculty Council in spring 2024 to raise the engagement of Princeton faculty and students with Mpala and to provide the University with faculty perspectives on the academic direction of Mpala. 

Governance and Staffing: Princeton appoints the majority of trustees for Mpala Research Centre (MRC) and related entities, with key staff dedicating significant time to Mpala operations. There is also the Princeton-Mpala Advisory Council and Princeton-Mpala Faculty Council that advise the university on its various engagements with Mpala.

Financial Support: Increased financial backing for Mpala, including investments in infrastructure and emergency funds during crises, with a commitment to ongoing support for maintenance and development projects.

Fundraising and Communications: Coordinated efforts to engage donors, with a focus on expanding the donor base beyond Princeton affiliates and enhancing Mpala's online presence.

Legal Support: Access to Kenyan legal advice for Mpala through Princeton, covering a wide range of legal matters.

Technology: Significant contributions from Princeton's Office of Information Technology, including staffing and technical support for Mpala.

Safety and Security: Engagement in safety assessments and recommendations for Mpala, with plans for increased involvement.

Operational Oversight: Management of financial and legal responsibilities for the US-based non-profit entity associated with Mpala. 

Mpala Research Centre is a testament to the power of collaboration, bringing together anchor institutions Princeton University, the Smithsonian Institution, the Kenya Wildlife Service, the National Museums of Kenya, and the Wildlife Research Training Institute of Kenya. This partnership is the cornerstone of Mpala’s extraordinary success. Research and education lie at the heart of our endeavors, and it is through our foundational partnerships that Mpala can realize its true potential. By leveraging the collective resources and wisdom of our partners and collaborating with a vast network of researchers from around the world, we can push the boundaries of knowledge, unravel the complexities of African savannah ecosystems, and unlock innovative solutions to the pressing challenges the world faces.

Aly Kassam-Remtulla, Vice Provost for International Affairs and Operations
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Grace Penn, Associate Director for International Affairs and Operations
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Colleen Stevens Walsh, International Program Support Specialist
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Headshots tk 

Runa Alam ’81, Co-Founder and CEO of Development Partners International 

Louisa de Carvalho Brassey '09, Co-Founder, Greenwood Place 

Helen Wanjiru Gichohi, Managing Director, Equity Group Foundation 

Noah Gottdiener ’78 P20, Executive Chairman of Duff & Phelps 

Tracy Higgins ’86 P25, Professor of Law, Fordham University 

Paula Kahumbu '02, CEO, WildlifeDirect

Dennis Keller ’63 P98 g24, Founding Chair and CEO, DeVry University 

Aliya Kanji Nedungadi ’97

Kevin MacMillan ’97, Partner, Allegaert Berger & Vogel LLP 

Chika Okeke-Agulu, Professor and Director of the Program in African Studies, Princeton University