The National Government has released Ksh 950 million to compensate victims of human-wildlife conflict across the country.
Speaking at Ndolele area in Igembe North Sub-County, Meru County, during a meeting with residents, Senior KWS Assistant Director for the Eastern Conservation Area, John Wambua, confirmed that the funds have already been disbursed.
He said the compensation will benefit individuals who reported incidents and duly filled in all the required compensation forms.
Wambua further noted that Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) is constructing a 42-kilometre electric fence around Meru National Park to curb the movement of elephants and other wild animals into residential areas.
He urged victims of human-wildlife conflict who have not yet submitted their bank details to do so at the nearest KWS warden offices.
He clarified that compensation is processed by the government, not KWS, and that payments are made directly to victims’ bank accounts.
Jacob Ouma, the Meru County Commissioner and Chairperson of the County Conservation and Compensation Committee, called on residents to provide accurate information when reporting incidents and filling out compensation forms.
He warned that exaggerating the extent of damage or inflating property values could lead to disqualification from compensation.
Residents Jeffrey Mugambi and John Kirimi appealed to KWS to support nearby public schools through corporate social responsibility initiatives, including drilling boreholes to address water shortages in the dry area.
They also urged the management of Meru National Park to consider offering educational tours or free park visits to top-performing pupils from neighbouring public schools, to help them appreciate the importance of wildlife conservation.
