The Cabinet Secretary Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife will be visiting Nyeri County Tuesday 28th January, 2025 to launch Tourism and wildlife related projects. This scheduled visit by the CS is a routine itinerary that she periodically makes to inspect wildlife and Tourism related projects in the country. In her visit to Nyeri county, she will launch a 60km Mt Kenya Electric fence-Phase VI: Naromoru- Nanyuki fencing projects by the Rhino Ark and also acknowledge the beneficiaries of compensation which the ministry paid last week. She will also plant trees as part of the Presidential Directives on addressing climate change. This is informed by the fact that the core mandate of the ministry is to mitigate Human-Wildlife Conflicts and to foster Human Wildlife Co-existence, in partnerships with other stakeholders and development partners.
Over the years, the biggest challenge facing Human Wildlife Co-existence is the perception of the communities around wildlife conservation and protected areas that the government majorly focus on protection of wildlife but does not care about the people who suffer from injuries and loss of human lives and livestock, property damage and destruction of crops occasioned by wildlife.
As stipulated in the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act, 2013, payment of claims and education, extension services and public awareness will be undertaken to foster human-wildlife co-existence. For the last two financial years, the ministry has already paid Ksh. 1.8 Billion to victims of HWCs. Lask week the ministry paid out Ksh. 344M has been paid to 1122 claimants of which 61 beneficiaries are from Nyeri County. The fencing project is aimed at reducing HWCs and hence cutting down on the cost of compensation. The ministry is desirous of undertaking human-wildlife conflict mitigation projects and is fulling committed to clearing all the compensation back log since it began under the WCMA in 2014.
The visit by the Cabinet Secretary is therefore critical is addressing HWCs, improving public education and awareness and getting feedback from wananchi and leaders to improve Human-Wildlife co-existence.
In this regard, The Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife will visit Kabaru to plant trees and launch the 60km fence, address the public on HWCs and later visit Hombe Forest, in Mathira West, to address the public on HWCs and acknowledge some of the beneficiaries of HWC compensation from Nyeri County as part of her meet the people tour.
Silvia Museiya, CBS
PRINCIPAL SECRETARY.