Taita Taveta residents cry foul over wildlife attacks

Human Rights Activists in Mwatate, Taita Taveta County are now threatening to stage a grand demonstration next week if the government does not compensate residents whose crops have been destroyed by wild animals.

In the recent past, there have been numerous cases of human-wildlife conflict in the wildlife-rich county that boasts of having both Tsavo East and Tsavo West National Parks.

Residents claim that the animals find their way out of the parks, or have been deliberately let off by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) to find food, which is scarce during drought seasons.

The activists lament that residents have incurred losses and some have lost their lives as a result of this conflict yet the government has remained silent.

“Our crops have been destroyed; our relatives have been killed, several injured by elephants, lions, and other wild animals but the government is not compensating us,” one of the residents lamented.

They are also planning to sue the government concerning a situation where residents in the county are constantly harassed by wild animals.

Edited by Majanga Michael