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State to pay Sh524m to wildlife attack victims

A Kenya Wildlife Service helicopter flies over elephants in the Tsavo National Park on March 15.

The government has set aside Sh524 million to compensate victims and families of those injured or killed by wild animals. 

Wildlife PS Fred Segor said the State will compensate those who have reported their cases to the government.

He was speaking during food distribution in Loita ward in Narok county.

“In the future, we are striving to see on how these monies will be enhanced [invested] to finish the backlog of cases," Segor said.

The PS said Sh120 million has been paid to Narok families as compensation for those who have been killed due to human-wildlife conflicts between 2014 and 2017.

He said Sh10 million has already been paid in the past month to those injured by wild animals.

Segor said his department will employ more rangers to reduce the increasing human-wildlife conflict.

“The cases that have been compensated are 24 out of the reported 51 cases in Narok and we will strive to compensate all the affected families by the end of the year,” he said.

The PS urged residents to report cases of human-wild conflicts to the local administration units so they can be compensated.

“In the next three weeks, the county commissioners who are chairpersons of the compensation committees will consider the cases with their committees and advise the government on how people will be compensated," Segor said.

He praised conservancies for doing a great job in containing the animals that he called a national pride.

“I call on residents living near wildlife to fence their farms and homesteads to prevent animals from straying into their farms,” he said.

Loita MCA Charles Nkiton said the state should swiftly compensate people who have suffered for a long time.

He said communities near national parks and game reserves continue to suffer deaths and huge losses because of attacks from wildlife yet they are not compensated.

“Those who fall victims to the persistent human-wildlife conflict should be properly compensated so they do not take revenge by killing these animals, which may affect tourism in the Masai Mara Game Reserve," Nkiton said.

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