Kenyan govt moves to compensate wildlife victims
By Bisola Adeyemo
The national government in conjunction with the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has said it will compensate wildlife victims in the country with the sum of three billion shillings.
The senior assistant director for the Western conservation area, Catherine Ombayi, said the compensation is for 10,000 casualties of wildlife attack causing personal injuries, deaths, damage to property and crops, and livestock predation, KNA said.
Ombayi said, “Out of the 49 cases we had registered, there were 5 cases of human deaths, 5 cases of injuries, 9 of crop destruction as well as 30 cases of predation on domestic animals.
“The committee aims at finding the appropriate means and solutions to mitigate suffering imposed on wildlife by human beings as well as casualties caused by the wildlife,” said Ombayi.
Homa Bay County Commissioner, Moses Lilan, warned all residents to try as much as possible to avoid operating in areas surrounding those set aside for inhabitation by wildlife.
He stated that it is the responsibility of the residents to ensure they stay weary of the existence of the wildlife as the animals can not differentiate between what is right and wrong.