"The president will be conveying to the (parliament) speaker the reasons for his refusal and proposals on the way forward," Kibaki's office said in a statement.

Kibaki will be "bearing in mind that wildlife is a national heritage in which the people of Kenya, in their totality, should have a say and to avoid relegation of wildlife management to a few interest groups," the statement said.

The Kenyan parliament on December 9 amended the 1977 Wildlife Conservation and Management Act, which banned poaching and reckless killing of wild animals, to allow sport hunting and authorise ranchers to kill wildlife that drift into their land.

Conservationists had urged Kibaki -- whose signature is required to bring the law into effect -- to reject the legislation.

Wildlife is the backbone of Kenya's key tourism sector.

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