Victims of human- wildlife conflict in Kajiado South are raising concerns over delays in compensation by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS).
Led by their area Member of Parliament, Sakimpa Parashina, the residents lament that the compensation process takes too long, forcing victims to wait for years before their claims are approved and paid.
“You will find that claims made as far back as 2018 have not been paid to date, yet in some cases, the victim was the family’s breadwinner. It is unfair for compensation to take more than ten years. We want the process to be expedited so that payments are made within a year to be meaningful to the victims,” said the MP.
Parashina also called on KWS to conduct sensitization forums on compensation procedures, as many residents are unaware of where to report wildlife attacks and how the process works.
“Our people should know how much compensation is paid and when to expect payment, whether for death, injury, or crop destruction. This will help curb retaliatory attacks where communities kill wildlife in response to losses,” he added.
Jeremiah Ngashngash, a village elder in Elang’ata Enkima, said that hyenas and lions frequently kill their livestock, yet KWS takes too long to compensate them, despite livestock being their primary source of income.
“The compensation process delays, and sometimes the amount paid does not even match the market value of the livestock lost. While we have benefited from other KWS projects, such as boreholes, we are requesting more timely compensation and the installation of solar lights to deter wildlife attacks at night,” he said.
He further urged KWS to introduce a tree-planting initiative in the area, as elephants have destroyed most of the existing trees.
Simon Olashumpai, a resident of Kuku Ward, expressed frustration over the financial burden farmers face in getting agricultural officers to assess and validate wildlife-related damages.
“Some of our farms were destroyed years ago, and we are still following up on payments. A hyena killed 20 of my goats in January last year, yet we are still awaiting compensation, despite KWS promising prompt payment. They need to act faster,” he lamented.
William Tajiri, a resident of Elang’ata Enkima, highlighted the destruction of crops by elephants searching for water near homesteads. He urged KWS to drill boreholes and construct water pans for wildlife away from residential areas to minimize human- wildlife conflicts.
In response, KWS Kajiado Assistant Director Francis Mbaka encouraged the community to report all wildlife-related incidents by dialing *202*09# for faster, fairer, and more efficient digital compensation.
