The government is set to commence sensitisation on compensation of victims of wild animal attacks in Taita Taveta county.
The county wildlife conservation and compensation committee targets to evaluate death and injury cases filed between 2014 and 2018.
So far, only 23 cases reported between 2014 and 2016 in the region have been compensated. The deaths resulted from wild animals attack. However, cases of people who died from snakebites are among those which are yet to be compensated.
According to KWS assistant director in charge of Tsavo Conservation Area Robbert Njue, the state has spent at least Sh78 million on compensation in the county.
Njue said the exercise will commence once a new compensation team is launched. The team to be chaired by county commissioner Rodah Onyancha is expected to review a backlog of more than 1,800 cases of deaths, injury and property damage.
“The new committee will set the stage for compensation of pending cases that are overdue. They have been gazetted and shall start the exercise soon,” Njue said.
The backlog includes cases of crop destruction and livestock deaths caused by elephants, lions, hyenas, buffaloes, snakebites and crocodiles. Cases reported since 2018 have not been evaluated.
Njue said the compensation process has delayed for lack of funds to compensate all evaluated cases.
Human-wildlife conflict has been rampant in Taita Taveta county recording close to 8,000 cases of conflict over the years.
The assistant director further reaffirmed that compensation is still on course noting that the process had stopped awaiting release of government funds.
“Once launched, the committee will start compensating all the cases with proper documentation. We are very dedicated in reducing the compensation claims filed between 2014 and 2018,” Njue added.
Njue said the agency had deployed farmer-friendly ways of controlling elephant attacks which are rampant in the region. They include growing of sunflower and placement of beehives along their farms to reduce attacks.
“KWS has helped farmers instal beehives and plant sunflower in parts of Maungu and Kajire. They are now harvesting honey while keeping jumbos at bay,” he noted.
He revealed that government is in talks with Bidco company to link sunflower farmers with a ready market. The deal is set to help in re-building strained relationship between residents and the agency.
Further, Njue slammed residents for taking KWS to court over the process of erecting an electric fence along the expansive Tsavo National Park. He said the case has derailed the process that could have ended the perennial attacks.
He said, “Let those who went to court to stop the Sh40 million fence withdraw the suit so that the menace can be addressed amicably.”