Michael and Nicky have lived on Borana since 1984.  In those days the property was very intensively ranched with livestock – cattle, merino sheep and angora goats, a place where wildlife took second place. They immediately changed the management policy to a more holistic approach that has seen Borana become a wildlife refuge.

Cattle numbers have almost stayed the same, but slowly the numbers of sheep and goats were reduced to none, this happened very fast after the collapse of the merino wool market in the early 90s.  The fencing was removed and the wilderness of the land was allowed to return. Following the collapse of the wool market Michael and Nicky decided that they had to diversify into other forms of land use.  In 1992 they persuaded the board that wildlife and tourism was the way forward and Borana Lodge came into being. At the same Michael became a founding director of Il N’gwesi Group Ranch and helped to conceive the initial plans and funding for the fully owned community lodge there.

The Cecil family also approached the Dyers, requesting that they would like to rent a small piece of land on which to build a house and so Laragai was conceived and built by Andy Roberts. George and Lucilla Stephenson subsequently bought the house.

Over the years Michael and Nicky have worked with their neighbours to endeavour to improve their livelihoods.  The Laikipia Wildlife Forum was founded in 1994 as an organisation, which could help all landowners large and small in Laikipia to communicate and help each other on different issues from water to human-wildlife conflict.  This organisation is stronger than ever today.

After the success of Il N’gwesi, Michael and Nicky were approached by members of Lekurruki Group Ranch, who were requesting their help and support to build an eco-lodge at Tassia. This lodge is now a success that has been taken over by the Wheeler family. Michael continues to work with the neighbouring ranchers, leasing out grazing in dry times and initiating farming strategies to improve and rehabilitate community-grazing areas.

Other projects that they have initiated are the Borana Education Support Programme, which looks after five local primary schools – helping raise money for infrastructure, teachers’ salaries, environmental programmes, and bursaries for secondary and tertiary education.  Also the Borana Mobile Clinic which is a Land Rover that covers the area of East Laikipia introducing the concept of family planning, health care and education, and HIV aids counselling as well as simple curatives and infant immunisations to those who live far from medical facilities.

Nicky runs a small natural tannery and leather workshop employing mostly physically disabled people – some blind, who work in the tanning operation.  She buys her skins off local farmers and employs local women to decorate some of the leatherwork with beads.

In 2007 Borana won the Responsible Tourism Award for Poverty Alleviation.

HISTORY OF BORANA

The history of Borana is also the story of three generations of a family that have been at the forefront of the evolving attitude towards the use of land in the Kenyan highlands.

At the end of the First World War, the British Government was handing out land in the empty areas of the Kenyan highlands to soldier settlers to encourage them to develop it for agriculture. Will Powys, the maternal grandfather Borana’s current manager, Michael Dyer, drew several thousand acres around Kisima spring in the foothills of Mount Kenya. This was fortunate as the spring ensured his land had water and enabled him to survive the years ahead when many other settlers did not.

Will went to work for an established farmer, taking his pay in trees, stock and machinery. In 1927, he was able to start his business in Kisima, 8000 feet above sea level.

He established a farm but – after a particularly cruel storm when 200 sheep were lost in one night – he realised that he needed land at a lower altitude. He found it by the Ngare Ndare River. Ngare Ndare means "River of Sheep" in the Masai language yet – despite this positive portent – challenges remained, particularly the virulent blue-tongue virus which killed many sheep before a vaccine became available. As the years went by, Will was able to buy further land, including where Borana Lodge sits today. In this era, both the settlers and the Laikipia Masai – who traditionally herd goats and cattle – had little time for wild animals and hunting was part of the lifestyle.

Will married Elizabeth and together they had three children: Rose, who lives on the land at Ngare Ndare, Charles, who was killed in a gun accident in 1964 and Gilfrid, who is the head of the Kisima enterprise and lives on a ranch in Rumuruti. Elizabeth also had one daughter from an earlier marriage: Delia Douglas, who married David Craig. They and their family, particularly their son, Ian, are the founders of the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy.

Rose married Tony Dyer and they have four sons: Michael, Francis (Fuzz), Martin and Charles. Martin and Charles run the crops and livestock at Kisima.