When night falls, trepidation fills residents of Buuri and Imenti North as rogue elephants roam free, leaving a trail of destruction and death.
Residents living near Muchegene forest have, in a span of two weeks, lost five people while those in Choroiboro and Tigania West have lost one person each, bringing into focus the perennial human-wildlife conflict in Meru County, especially during the dry spell.
At Kibirichia area, smoke billows from fires lit by residents to keep away jumbos that stray into their farms because of the prevailing drought.
According to John Mbaya, who was once attacked by the jumbos but survived to tell the story, the elephants have been attacking them for more than 20 years and they have lost hope that something will be done about it.
“I have lived here for many years. I can count the number of times we have slept peacefully because we spend the night outside to ward off jumbos, which stray mostly at night,” said Mbaya.
Power solar fence
He said despite Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) erecting an electrical fence around Muchegene forest, the elephants have found a way of stepping on the posts connecting the live wires and pushing them down to access people’s homesteads and shambas.
“Unless the KWS erects strong and permanent posts, these elephants will continue to kill us and destroy our crops. We have complained and nothing has happened yet our people continue to die,” he added.
The list of those who have lost their lives is long and while to many, they are just a statistic, to residents they are family friends or relatives.
Festus Kanyi, 66, a victim, was trampled upon last month at 10 am while harvesting potatoes in his farm.
Another resident, Naftaly Kiriinya was attacked while walking home at around 7.30pm, two days after Kanyi’s death.
“He was entering the gate when one elephant that was part of a herd that was feeding in the maize field hit and killed him on the spot,” said Douglas Mutwiri, the deceased’s elder brother.
Kiriinya’s wife, Josephine Kathure urged the government to urgently address the issue and ensure victims are compensated given that her widower was the sole breadwinner.
About a kilometre away in Machaka village, another family is also mourning the loss of their son, Martin Kaimenyi, who was attacked and killed in broad daylight while operating his boda boda business.
In Nchoroiboro, Boniface Kirimi and Silas Muchui from Mweraonkanga in Tigania West were trampled to death by an elephant.
Speaking to People Daily Robert Muriungi said the jumbos have caused havoc for the last two months, saying the area has witnessed an increase in the number of stray elephants from Meru National Park.
“We are afraid for our children and as schools reopen, we are not guaranteed of their safety,” added Muriungi.
Compensation
KWS communication officer Ngugi Gechaga blamed human encroachment on the crisis, claiming that residents have settled on the wildlife migration corridors leading to conflict.
“Residents have blocked the wildlife migratory routes such as the Isiolo-Shaba-Imenti Forest to Meru National Park route and the other one Uraa -Mikinduri to lower Imenti forest corridor. Where do they expect these animals to pass?” posed Gechaga.
However, he said the government is in the process of constructing a more powerful solar fence on the lower Imenti forest to mitigate the human-wildlife conflict.
“There is a lot of competition between human beings, livestock and wild animals and the forest cover cannot sustain all of them. This is why you find these animals straying from the forest to look for food and pasture,” he added.
Power solar fence
KWS has asked residents to embrace peaceful cohesion between wildlife communities adding that the government is working on modalities to ensure the affected families are compensated.
Gechaga has also called for patience saying there is a large number waiting to be compensated since 2014.
“The government is paying in phases because there are over 1,000 cases of people seeking compensation for death or loss of crops. All will be paid,” said Mohamed Madera, warden in-charge, Meru county.
This year, the government has spent Sh30 million to compensate six affected families while in 2018 and 2017, five families who lost their loved ones were awarded Sh5 million each as compensation while in 2016 only two were paid.
Madera said they have intensified strategic patrol deployment of rangers along the human-wildlife conflict hot spot to mitigate human-wildlife conflict.
