The government has paid Sh2.8 billion as compensation to victims of human-wildlife conflict in the last two years ending years of suffering for the victims, Conservation Secretary, State department for Wildlife John Chumo has said.
Chumo said the drive has seen the pending bills reduce from Sh4.1 billion inherited two years ago to about Sh2.3 billion currently.
Speaking during a stakeholder meeting at Mangu High School, Chumo said each year, they disbursed close to Sh1 billion to victims, with this year, close to Sh950 billion being disbursed.
The amount, he said might be boosted in the coming years to fully clear all the pending bills.
The official attributed the aggressive compensation drive to a well-streamlined data based or victims, and the government’s goodwill to the victims.
“Since this government took over, there has been rigorous compensation efforts to human wildlife conflict victims. Two years ago, the pending bills were Sh4.1 billion. Several victims were suffering due to compensation delays. After establishing a streamlined database of victims, we have paid Sh2.8 billion in the last two years. Going forward, we hope the amount will be boosted to target more beneficiaries,” he said.
While noting that compensation cannot be enough, Chumo said the State Department has also embarked on mitigation measures to curb human wildlife conflict including fencing of game parks and game reserves.
Other measures, he said, are building of water pans and boreholes at the animal habitats to ensure the wildlife don’t come out in search of water in areas where people reside.
This comes even as the government unveiled a new, technology-driven model to compensate victims of human wildlife conflict to replace outdated manual systems in a more aimed at enhancing transparency.
Through the system, small claims are processed using M-Pesa, making it fast and efficient.
According to data from the State Department, over 57,000 HWC incidents were reported nationally from 2009 to 2024.The data also shows that snake bites, marauding hyena, crocodiles and hippos’ attacks and crop damages by elephants as among the common human wildlife conflict cases reported in the country.
By Muoki Charles
