A court case seeking to halt the opening of a high-end safari lodge in Kenya’s Maasai Mara reserve has been dropped, marking a turn in a legal battle that had drawn attention to the tension between conservation and tourism development.
According to reuters.com, lawyers for a Kenyan environmentalist confirmed on Wednesday that their client has applied to withdraw the lawsuit filed against the developers of a Ritz-Carlton-branded safari lodge. The suit had alleged that the project obstructed a critical wildebeest migration corridor within the Maasai Mara ecosystem, raising concerns about the impact of luxury tourism on wildlife conservation.
No explanation for the withdrawal was provided in the notice.
Activist Meitamei Olol Dapash from the Institute for Maasai Education, Research and Conservation (MERC) filed a lawsuit against Ritz-Carlton, its owner Marriott (MAR.O), opens new tab, the project’s local developer Lazizi Mara Limited and Kenyan authorities in August to try to block the scheduled opening of the lodge.
In his petition, he said the luxury 20-suite camp, which includes plunge pools and provides a personalised butler service, obstructs a crucial migration corridor between Maasai Mara and Tanzania’s Serengeti.
Researchers say migration allows wildebeest to find food and maintain genetic diversity among herds.
“The Petitioner herein wishes to withdraw the entire suit instituted by way of petition dated 8th August 2025 with no orders as to costs,” Dapash’s lawyers said in a filing to the Environment and Land Court in Narok.
Kenya’s Citizen TV said on its X account that it was because Dapash’s concerns had been sufficiently addressed.
Dapash did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In late November, the Kenya Wildlife Service rejected accusations that the lodge was blocking the wildebeest migration corridor.
