Residents in Kitui county have called for efficient and effective wildlife management and conservation laws aimed at minimizing wildlife human conflicts in the county as well as across the country.
The residents while participating in the wildlife law review public forum, lamented over weak laws on the management and conservation of wildlife thus resulting to recurrent conflicts between wildlife and residents especially communities residing near wildlife conservation areas.
Speaking during the public participation forum held on Wednesday at Multi-Purpose Centre and organized jointly by the state department of wildlife and local office of the County Commissioner, the residents highlighted numerous issues on wildlife-human conflicts including review of the existing laws on compensation benefits and timeframe.
“High numbers of Wildlife human conflicts victims are never compensated and even the compensation awarded is little to make an impact on the victims”, Mrs. Jane Kamane Mutua, told the visiting wildlife law review committee.
The residents welcomed the exercise but raised concerns over delayed compensation for wildlife-related damages, delayed response after being attacked by wild animals, lack of compensation when farmers’ livestock and crops are destroyed by wildlife, and restricted access to traditionally owned communal lands due to gazettement of protected areas.
“We support wildlife conservation, but many of us have lost our livestock to hyenas and crops especially to puppet monkeys without any compensation. It is as if the government favors wildlife over human life,” said Barnard Mumo, a local resident.
Representatives from local county government administration and office of county commissioner led by the Kitui central deputy county commissioner Madam Dorcus Rono and chiefs, were in attendance and called for a better involvement with the communities especially those areas prone to wildlife human conflicts, in decision-making structures.
According to a recent report over Wildlife human conflicts, Snakebite is the leading Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) in Kitui County, with a total of 1,939 cases reported by victims who sought treatment at health facilities across the vast county in the last three years, 2020 to 2024.
The data obtained from medical records reports further claimed that the number of snakebites could be higher than the above-mentioned cases owing to the fact that some of the victims do not seek medical attention at public health facilities but opt for private health facilities, while others go for alternative methods of treatment rather than seeking medical services from the public health facilities.
With Snakebites as a major human-wildlife conflict in Kitui county, the residents called for the return of the 2013 Wildlife Conservation and Management Act which enshrined compensation for snakebite victims.
The legal compensation framework for snakebites was amended in 2019, effectively removing snakebites from the list of compensable wildlife-related incidents.
The State Department for Wildlife, under the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, engaged the residents of Kitui county to collect their views on the review of the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act (CAP 376).
The wildlife law review seeks to harmonize the Act with the National Wildlife Policy 2020 and Kenya Vision 2030 while enhancing legal clarity in governance.
The Act aims at aligning the law with the Constitution, enhancing economic opportunities linked to wildlife, and addressing emerging issues in the wildlife sector.
The visiting wildlife law review committee explained that the ongoing countrywide process is part of their constitutional obligation under Article 10 and seeks to bring on board citizens and stakeholders in shaping a law that reflects their concerns and aspirations.
The proposed amendments will address long-standing challenges, including increased cases of human-wildlife conflict, unclear roles between national and county governments, and gaps in compensation and resource-sharing mechanisms with local communities.
The Wildlife Conservation and Management Act, 2025, seeks to modernize how the nation governs, conserves, utilizes, and shares benefits from wildlife resources.
The Bill proposes reforms in governance structures, sustainable financing, human-wildlife conflict management, enforcement, research, and equitable benefit sharing with local communities.
The Ministry’s public forums, running from May 7 to May 25, are being held across the country. Citizens can also submit written memoranda to the legal office at the NSSF Building in Nairobi or via email to wildlife2025@tourism.go.ke.
By Denson Mututo and Shirleen Kavinya
