Government committed to compensating all Human -Wildlife conflict victims, DP

Martin Munyi (KNA)

The government is committed to ensuring that all human-wildlife conflict victims are fully compensated by 2027.

Deputy President Prof. Kithure Kindiki said the government is keen to end the backlog in compensation, with some people having waited for over a decade.

He was speaking at Naibor Trading Centre in Laikipia County where he issued compensation cheques worth Sh70 million to over 700 victims of human-wildlife conflicts in the county.

“Some of the people we are issuing cheques today have waited for a long time, some victims or their relatives for over 10 years. This long backlog must end, and I can assure Kenyans that all pending compensations shall be paid before we go to the next elections,” he said.

The DP said the government, through the Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS), is in the process of fencing all wildlife sanctuaries to minimize cases of human-wildlife conflicts in the country which occur when wild animals stray into people's dwelling areas.

Prof. Kindiki also announced the commencement of upgrading of the Nanyuki-Doldol and Nanyuki –Rumuruti roads into bitumen standards to ease movement in the area.

Accompanying the DP was Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife Rebecca Miano who said her ministry, apart from putting up electric fences around wildlife sanctuaries, is also improving access roads within game parks and reserves to boost tourism.

Laikipia Governor Joshua Irungu, who also graced the function, noted that locals had suffered for long due to attacks and destruction of crops and farms by wild animals.

He added that the compensation, though delayed, is a welcome move in ensuring residents and wildlife mutually co-exist in the area.

Laikipia County has the second highest reported cases of human-wildlife conflicts in Kenya after Taita Taveta.

Some of the beneficiaries said they were grateful after they were awarded cheques of various amounts depending on the nature of injury or damage to farms and property by wildlife.

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