Scientific Research Journal (SCIRJ), Volume IX, Issue II, February 2021 1 ISSN 2201-2796 www.scirj.org © 2021, Scientific Research Journal http://dx.doi.org/10.31364/SCIRJ/v9.i02.2021.P0221839 This publication is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY. The Politico-Economic Competition Affecting Ecotourism Development in Serengeti-Mara Ecosystem between Kenya and Tanzania Dr. Godfrey Cotty Ungaya Department of Political Science and Peace Studies, Kisii University, Kisii Town, Kenya E-mail Address: godfreycotty@kisiiuniversity.ac.ke DOI: 10.31364/SCIRJ/v9.i02.2021.P0221839 http://dx.doi.org/10.31364/SCIRJ/v9.i02.2021.P0221839 Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to analyze the politics around revenue sharing dilemma which affects ecotourism development in Serengeti-Mara ecosystem between Kenya and Tanzania. Ecotourism is a form of tourism that is geared towards conservation of tourist destinations as opposed to traditional tourism of profit maximization from tourism activities by key stakeholders. The EAC Regional Tourism policy forms the foundation of ecotourism development in this transboundary ecosystem. Despite existence of this agreement, ecotourism development has been negatively affected by the politics of revenue sharing accrued from tourism activities among key players on both sides of the border. The study used questionnaire, interviews and focused group discussion to collect primary data while secondary data were collected using journals, documents, acts, legislations, sessional papers and conventions/protocols on tourism. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The qualitative data were analysed by consolidating emerging themes from the key informant interviews and topic analysis. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages. Data were presented in form of tables, pie charts and narrations. The results indicate issues of revenue sharing are yet to be sorted which has affected ecotourism in terms of tourist flow and conservation of this tourist destination. Findings demonstrate that Maasai Mara National Reserve receives 290,000 against Serengeti 116,000 foreign tourists annually. But a look at international receipts show that Serengeti revenue collection is more than Mara’s. Thus, lack of concrete structures on how to increase revenue generation and shar ing within the EAC tourism policy has led to political and economic competition in this transboundary ecosystem. There is need for review of the EAC tourism policy such that the political and economic competition between the two nation-states is removed. Key words: Revenue Sharing, Profit Maximization, Conventions, Transboundary, Ecotourism and Ecosystem Introduction In the Serengeti Mara ecosystem, ecotourism development has largely been affected by statist tourism policies despite the existence of a regional tourism policy. This means that regional cooperation on policy coordination is minimal or lacking totally in some aspects of ecotourism. In previous studies, the focus has not been on the sub-field of international political economy but on collaborative natural resource management with view of forestalling conflict among the partner states (Omar, 2013). As much as Omar study is relevant to the current one since it highlights the importance of regional policy in solving cross border conflict on natural resources, his study is focused on conflict over transboundary natural resources and not politico-economic competition that affects ecotourism development in Serengeti-Mara. A study by IGAD in this academic field has been on ecotourism development in individual states (IGAD, 2011).The gaps in these studies is that they have not in any way explored how diplomacy can be utilized to reduce issues of international political economy with focus on ecotourism development. Therefore, previous studies on the EAC regional policy coordination have not