Gov't compensates victims of human-wildlife conflict with Ksh.960M

President William Ruto while issuing a cheque of Ksh.959.4million for the latest round of compensation, said Ksh.4 billion out of a pending Ksh.7 billion between 2014 and 2023 had been paid. 

President Ruto directed the Ministry of Tourism to speed up the verification exercise and clear the remaining Ksh.3 billion compensation claims in the next two months.

The human-wildlife conflict is a major problem in several counties where wild animals and human beings come into contact from time to time. These are counties that are near national parks or forests where there are wild animals.

The problem is so dire that the government is losing Ksh. 7 billion in compensation claims from 2014 to 2023.

“We have close to 17000 already accessed and verified cases of human-wildlife conflict with the cost of Ksh.7 billion we have so far compensated Ksh.4billion by the end of this compensation today the others that are pending almost 7000 cases that have already been verified my instructions are we should pay in 60 days,” he said.

The compensation claims are for deaths resulting from wildlife attacks, injuries, crop destruction, predation and damage of property caused by wild animals.

The leading counties in the number of deaths caused by wild animals are Narok with 28 deaths, Kilifi with 24 deaths, Kajiado at third with 23, Laikipia at fourth with 22, Kitui and Samburu tie at 5th with 19 deaths recorded each. 

Tana River has 18 deaths recorded, Taita Taveta 16, Meru 12, with Baringo, Kisumu and Homa Bay each recording 10 deaths to round off the 12 counties that have more than 10 recorded death claims. 

In total, 305 people have lost their lives across the country due to human-wildlife conflict in less than 10 years.

Victims of the human-wildlife conflict have over time decried the slow process of compensation but the president said the launch of a compensation scheme for damages arising from human-wildlife conflict will remove unnecessary bureaucracies making the process easier and faster.

Kajiado County which has the more serious cases of human-wildlife conflict will get the lion's share of the Ksh.960 million cheques at Ksh.94 million, followed by Laikipia Ksh.71 million, Narok Ksh.70 million, Tana River Ksh.60 million, Samburu Ksh.54 million, Taita Taveta Ksh.50 million, Meru Ksh.48 million and baringo Ksh.45 million.

The president directed the Ministry of Tourism to map out all areas, which require fencing, including forests, to facilitate fencing in the next five years adding that an additional 1500 game rangers will be deployed beginning next week in a bid to minimise these conflicts.

Tourism and Wildlife CS Alfred Mutua added: “The fencing program which you launched the while ago is critical to keeping the animals in their home and wananchi at their homes this phase one has a budget of Ksh.300m and we will be laying 300km of electric fence we will soon be embarking on face two for another 350km.”

The president said expeditious compensation will build public confidence in wildlife conservation and minimise hostilities from communities whenever wildlife strays into their farms.