Wildlife Conservation Drives Tourism But Comes At A Cost
Updated on: Apr 15, 2024
Wildlife compensation bills dating back to 2014 show game conservation does not come cheap.
A report presented to H.E President William Samoei Ruto, PHD at Rumuruti last Friday shows the tax payer forked out Ksh 4 billion to settle death, injuries, predation, crop destruction and property damage categories of losses caused by wildlife.
The state still owed Ksh 3.085 billion in unsettled but verified and approved claims from the same period according to the report read by KWS Director General, Dr. Erastus Kanga.
The total claims bill was 7.234 billion shillings.
They included ksh Ksh 4.5 billion claims for 1,071 deaths in the same period, Ksh 2.9 billion for injuries, Ksh 851 million for 5,997 claims for crop damage, Ksh 320 million for 3,654 claims for predation and Ksh 23.7 million claims for 233 property destruct claims lodged.
Some other 17,000 claims estimated to cost the tax payer between Ksh 5 and Ksh. 7 billion have been lodged between 2020-2023 and were pending in KWS stations countrywide awaiting verification and approval for payments before submission to KWS headquarters.
Among policy responses to the rising cost of human wildlife conflict management announced at Rumuruti on Friday include immediate survey and mapping of the total distance of electric fencing requirements country wide to separate protected areas and human settlements in the next five years.
Currently, the government is rolling out some 400 km of electric fencing country wide at a cost of Ksh. 350 million.
Another policy intervention announced by Tourism and Wildlife CS, Dr. Alfred Mutua include roping in private in tourism business to contribute to the rising compensation bill.
The Head of State launched a digital compensation system that uses mobile telephony applications in reporting, verification, submissions and payment of claims to make the process dignified, efficient and faster for victims and their families.
Out of the Ksh 960 million compensation disbursement announced last Friday, Ksh 72 million will go to claimants from Laikipia County.
