How KWT Shaped My Path in Conservation, by Brian Leshan Kaelo

My conservation journey began with a golden opportunity from the Kenya Wildlife Trust’s (KWT) Conservation Leadership Programme. They sponsored me to pursue a Diploma in Wildlife Management at the Wildlife Research and Training Institute (formerly known as the Kenya Wildlife Research and Training Institute) in Naivasha. This was the genesis of my dream to work in conservation coming true.

After my schooling, I was honored to join the KWT’s Mara Predator Conservation Programme as a research assistant. For about three years, I dedicated myself to monitoring predators in the Mara ecosystem. This hands-on experience deepened my passion for predator research, allowing me to gain valuable skills in the ecology field.

My journey took a new turn when I was accepted to Catawba College in the United States. This opportunity came about through immense support and a strong recommendation from KWT. At Catawba, I pursued a Bachelor of Science in Environment and Sustainability, with minors in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Ecology.

While at Catawba College, I maintained a strong connection with Kenya Wildlife Trust through a research project on the effectiveness of predator deterrent lights, also known as lion lights. This brilliant innovation by Richard Turere aims to reduce predator attacks on livestock. I approached KWT to request access to data collected by the Monitoring and Evaluation team which I used as a foundational dataset to build my study. My project sought to measure how effective these lights are in mitigating human-wildlife conflict, and the data significantly showed just how impactful they are. I later conducted follow-up field surveys, which I generously shared back with KWT to enrich their conservation database. This project was supported by KWT’s amazing team and my professors at Catawba College. 

I had the privilege of presenting this research at the International Congress for Conservation Biology (ICCB 2023) in Kigali, Rwanda, in July 2023. I also presented at the Student Conference on Conservation Science (SCCS) in New York last fall, where I received an “Honourable Mention” award. These achievements reflect a strong foundation built through partnerships and mentorship.

Just this month, I graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree with Cum Laude honors. I’m excited to share that I will be joining Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, this August to pursue a Master’s in Biology.

None of this would have been possible without the support from the Kenya Wildlife Trust. They invested in me and believed in me every step of this journey. I am incredibly grateful to the whole team for helping empower local students like me to achieve their dreams.

A big thank you, KWT!

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Brian’s story is exactly why we do what we do.

At KWT, we believe conservation should be Kenyan-led and community-rooted. We invest in local youth not just because it’s right, but because it works. When we open doors for talented, driven individuals like Brian, we’re not just shaping careers—we’re shaping the future of conservation in this country.

Brian, we’re proud of you. You’ve made the leap from Mara grasslands to global platforms, and your journey is only getting started.

Keep going. We’re watching.