The elephant population in Kenya is rising steadily, setting the stage for a fiercer human-wildlife conflict, results from an aerial census in the Tsavo-Mkomazi ecosystem show.
The elephant population in the Tsavo ecosystem now stands at 12,572, up from 11,696 in 2008 and representing a two per cent increase.
Though Kenya Wildlife Service director Julius Kipng’etich is happy that this is a good indicator of the success of wildlife conservation efforts, villagers are not as happy.
In Musorongo village, which borders Lumo Conservancy in the Tsavo ecosystem, Mr Mwamburi Mwikamba’s forced smile belies his bitterness.
His voice quivers as he shows visitors around his maize farm that was destroyed by elephants on Monday last week.
Glancing at the KWS helicopters hovering above his village conducting the week-long elephant census, Mzee Mwikamba wonders why so much resources should be lavished on animals that have made his life a constant misery for over two decades.
Pregnant wife
In 1991, he lost his pregnant second wife Heryta Mkanjale to an elephant.
“My wife had gone to fetch water at a spring at the foot of the Vuria hills when she met her death,” recalls the old man ruefully.
“Just look at me now. I am a wretch and not worth anything at all. I am not even able to feed my wife and children. I am finished as all my energy went into this farm. I till the land every year but just when I begin to hope that I’m about to stop begging for food, the elephants come and destroy everything,” said Mr Mwikamba.
Cases of human and wildlife conflict are not unique to Mr Mwikamba and fellow villagers of Musorongo.
Countless cases have been reported of rogue elephants and other wild animals straying from national parks and game reserves and destroying farms in the vicinity.
In Yumbuni village of Kongoni location in Makueni County, which is adjacent to Chyulu National Park, Wa Ng’ang’a is perched on a seven-metre high “nest” a few metres from the park’s boundary keeping a watch for the jumbos.
She has an iron sheet on which to bang to scare away elephants and baboons.
Her maize is almost ready for harvest and she does not want to take chances as she has been a casualty of jumbo raids on her farm in the past.
“Rogue elephants have helped themselves to my maize in the past and I am not going to let it happen again if I can,” declares Wa Ng’ang’a.
Mzee Mwikamba and Wa Ng’ang’a represent thousands of other villagers who eagerly await the passing of the Wildlife Compensation Bill which will entitle them to compensation from the government for crops destroyed by wildlife.
The Bill would also increase compensation for deaths caused by wildlife to sh1 million from a measly Sh200,000.
According to KWS assistant director and head of species Patrick Omondi, cases of human-wildlife conflict have risen sharply due to human encroachment on wildlife territory.
He says in 1973, elephants numbered 167,000 in Kenya but poachers reduced them to 16,000 by 1989.
Mr Omondi said when the elephant population went down, humans invaded their ecosystem.
However, improved conservation had seen the numbers climbing to 35,000 in 2010.
“The dwindling area in which elephants forage is fuelling the human-wildlife conflict,” he said.
“Human settlement, agriculture and climate change have interfered with corridors like Mt Kenya, the Aberdares, Sangari and Maasai Mara where settlers from other communities have influenced the pastoralist Maasai to engage in farming which interferes with wildlife. In areas like Kitengela, human settlement has interfered with the corridor,” said Mr Omondi.
He urged the government to urgently implement the land use and zoning policy.
“The land policy was adopted last year and we are hoping that the government will implement it quickly, providing a permanent solution to the conflict,” he said.
However, the regional director of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) Mr James Isiche said the human-wildlife conflict was a result of poor land use planning.
He said with proper planning, people in arid and semi-arid lands would be discouraged from farming and told to stick to livestock rearing.
“People have encroached on arid and semi-arid areas and introduced farming in wildlife territory. When the animals venture into their territory, humans complain that their crops are being destroyed,” said Mr Isiche.
Important custodians
He said with land zoning, areas that were unsuitable for agriculture would be set aside for wildlife and human activities related to wildlife like livestock rearing.
A researcher with the African Conservation Centre (ACC), Mr Jim Nyamu said it was crucial to involve communities in conservation.
He said environmental organisations must realise that communities living around wildlife areas were important custodians of the animals and should be involved in making decisions on how to conserve them.
“The communities are important stakeholders who cannot be left out whenever issues of wildlife are discussed as they view the animals as their own,” said Mr Nyamu.
He said there was need to foster peaceful coexistence through a “needs analysis” of resources.
He said such an analysis was carried out in the Magadi area where the communities and the ACC mapped out clear demarcations for wildlife, livestock and farming areas.
“The project was a success because the people now view wild animals as a source of additional income through community-owned lodges. At the same time, they are able to rear their livestock and farm as well,” Mr Nyamu said.
