Human – wildlife conflict has been witnessed for a very long time in Kenya, farmers have suffered huge losses due to damage by wildlife that has invaded their homes and farms.
Now residents of in Taita Taveta County have threatened to sue the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) for failing to drive out elephants that have invaded their farms leaving a trail of destruction.
Led by their ward representative Godwin Kilele, the residents said KWS has failed to stop wildlife straying into their farms from the Tsavo National Park.
Mr Kilele said despite residents staging a demonstration to KWS offices in Voi two weeks ago, elephants are still roaming the area.
“We will sue them for laxity. They have failed to manage their animals yet it is their responsibility to ensure the elephants remain in the park,” he said.
The herds of elephants are migrating from Mkomanzi National Park in Tanzania to Tsavo East National Park National.
Mr Kilele said the elephants are migrating in hundreds, endangering lives of residents.
“They promised us that they will act in a week’s time. Two weeks down the line, the situation is the same,” he said.
He said the residents whose crops were destroyed by the elephants will report their cases at the Voi Police Station on Tuesday.
“All residents who are suffering losses will be writing statements at the police station. I ask the police to prepare Occurrence Books (OB) because the number is huge,” he said.
The residents also demanded government officials to visit the area to assess crop damage.