Nairobi — It's a move which some say has created a "disaster in waiting". However, Kenya's government is refusing to alter its decision to downgrade Amboseli, a globally-renowned national park, to game reserve status.

The decision was put into effect earlier this month by Tourism and Wildlife Minister Morris Dzoro following a presidential order -- and has resulted in Amboseli being placed under the control of a local authority, the Ol Kejuado County Council. Previously the park was managed by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), the East African country's national conservation authority, which took charge of Amboseli in 1974.

Alarmed environmentalists point out that local councils have proved less than competent at managing reserves elsewhere -- the famed Maasai Mara being a case in point.

Once a national park, it was put in the care of Narok County Council by the previous government. The reserve is estimated to bring in revenues of over four million dollars annually; but, there is little to show for it.

Roads in the Maasai Mara are in a state of disrepair, while tour vans are allowed to drive off-road in search of wildlife, unchecked -- a practice that has resulted in widespread damage to the environment.

Outside the reserve the situation is scarcely more promising, with high levels of poverty testifying to the fact that little of the park's revenue has found its way to surrounding communities.

"We wonder what miracle Ol Kejuado County Council has...that will beneficially administer Amboseli National Park...where other local government institutions have failed -- as in the case of 27 other national reserves, whose benefits have not trickled down to communities," says Odenda Lumumba, national coordinator of the Kenya Land Alliance. This organisation is an umbrella body for groups which lobby for land reform.

It is feared that the fragile nature of Amboseli's ecosystem will make the park even more vulnerable to inept management than the Maasai Mara. Currently, Amboseli is home to dozens of animal species, including an elephant population of over 1,300 -- reportedly the largest in the country. More than 400 types of birds can also be found in the reserve.

Furthermore, there are concerns that the Ol Kejuado County Council will not be up to the task of preventing poaching in Amboseli.

Despite these arguments, President Mwai Kibaki said last week (Oct. 21) that the park's change of status was irreversible.

The comment came during a visit to the presidential residence by hundreds of Maasai, heightening fears that the decision on Amboseli was a ploy to garner votes from their ethnic group in the upcoming constitutional referendum, scheduled for Nov. 21.

The draft of Kenya's new constitution is itself a topic of controversy, with the opposition -- and even a section of the ruling National Rainbow Coalition -- calling on citizens to vote against it. One of the main bones of contention concerns parliament's altering of the draft to ensure that substantial powers continue to be vested in the presidency.

A previous version of the draft had indicated that many of these powers should be shifted to the post of prime minister, newly created for the purpose.

This reflected views gathered by the Constitution of Kenya Review Commission, a body which toured the country in a bid to gauge opinions on what a new constitution should look like. The commission reported that Kenyans wanted to see the powers of the president reduced, possibly in reaction to abuses under former heads of state Daniel arap Moi and Jomo Kenyatta.

During the visit to Kibaki, the Maasai members said they would vote for the new constitution.

Efforts by conservationists to challenge the decision about Amboseli on legal grounds have also been thwarted: earlier this month, the courts declined to issue an order halting government's bid to change the park's status.

This was despite the fact that under the law, neither the president nor the tourism and wildlife minister has the power to change the status of a national park unilaterally. Parliament is required to approve the decision, while government is also supposed to consult the KWS on the matter.

In the face of the uncertainty surrounding Amboseli, Kenya Tourism Board Chairman Jake Grieves-Cook adopts a cautious tone.

"We hope that the changeover of management of Amboseli to the Ol Kejuado County Council will not have an effect on tourism," he told IPS. Currently, the park is one of the six most popular of Kenya's 50 game reserves.

"We hope that Amboseli will be managed in a way that enhances it as a wildlife reserve that attracts tourists. This is one of the leading parks in the country and its proper management is crucial," said Grieves-Cook.