•Delayed Payments, Retaliatory Killings, and the Call for Reform
Residents of Kajiado South are raising concerns over prolonged delays in compensation for losses and injuries caused by wildlife, blaming the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) for inefficiencies in processing claims.
The affected communities, largely dependent on livestock and farming, argue that the compensation system is slow and inadequate, forcing many victims into financial distress and even triggering retaliatory killings of wildlife.
Led by Kajiado South Member of Parliament Sakimpa Parashina, the residents are demanding that compensation be expedited to ensure timely relief for victims of human-wildlife conflict.
According to Parashina, many claims dating back as far as 2018 remain unpaid, leaving affected families struggling to recover.
Years of Waiting for Compensation
“You will find that claims that have been made in the year 2018 have not been paid to date; in some cases, the victim was the breadwinner. It is not fair that compensation takes more than ten years to be paid. We want it to take at most one year for it to be helpful to the victims,” said MP Parashina.
The legislator further urged KWS to improve awareness programs on the compensation process, as many residents remain unaware of how to report incidents and file claims.
“Our people should know how much is paid and when it will be paid, whether for death, injury, or crop destruction. That will help in curbing retaliatory cases where the community kills wildlife in revenge for the damage caused,” he added.
Rising Attacks and Retaliatory Killings
The human-wildlife conflict in Kajiado South is worsening, with recent incidents sparking community outrage.
In Osewan, Kaputiei North Ward, a hyena seriously injured Anna Meeli, a mother of three. Enraged residents responded by hunting down and killing the animal.
Similarly, in Imbuko, Kajiado East, an elephant was killed by angry residents after it trampled and killed a local villager.
These retaliatory attacks highlight the community’s frustration with delayed government intervention and ineffective deterrent measures.
Livelihoods at Risk: Livestock and Crops Under Threat
Beyond physical attacks, residents suffer severe economic losses due to wildlife predation on livestock and destruction of farmlands.
Jeremiah Ngashngash, a village elder from Elang’ata Enkima, lamented that hyenas and lions frequently kill their livestock, yet compensation remains slow and insufficient.
“The compensation usually delays and sometimes does not even cover the market value of the livestock killed. Though we have benefitted from other activities such as boreholes from KWS, we are requesting more compensation and the installation of solar lights to ward off the wildlife at night when they prey on the livestock at the bomas,” he said.
Others, like Simon Olashumpai from Kuku Ward, highlighted the bureaucratic hurdles they face when seeking validation for damages.
Farmers must wait for agricultural officers to assess losses before claims can even be processed, further slowing down the compensation timeline.
William Tajiri, another affected resident, called for the construction of boreholes and water pans in designated wildlife areas to prevent elephants from invading farmlands in search of water.
KWS Urges Prompt Reporting, Promises Digital Compensation
In response to these concerns, Kajiado Assistant Director of KWS, Francis Mbaka, urged the community to report all wildlife-related incidents using the toll-free number 20209#.
He assured residents that KWS is working on a digital compensation system to improve efficiency and fairness.
However, with mounting frustrations and increasing cases of wildlife attacks, residents argue that action needs to be taken immediately.
Until compensation mechanisms are streamlined and deterrent measures enhanced, human-wildlife conflicts in Kajiado South are likely to persist—placing both lives and wildlife in jeopardy.
A Call for Urgent Policy Changes
The outcry from Kajiado South residents underscores the urgent need for a more efficient and transparent compensation framework.
Without timely payments, continued loss of lives, livelihoods, and retaliatory wildlife killings will remain a grim reality in the region.
The government and conservation authorities must act swiftly to protect both the affected communities and the wildlife population.
Photos/ Diana Meneto/KNA
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