Residents of Kajiado South affected by human-wildlife conflict are voicing frustration over prolonged delays in compensation by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS). Led by their area Member of Parliament, Sakimpa Parashina, the victims lament that some claims dating back to 2018 remain unpaid, leaving families struggling financially, especially in cases where the deceased was the breadwinner.
Parashina criticized the sluggish process, arguing that compensation should be paid within a year to serve its intended purpose. “It is unfair for compensation to take more than ten years. We want the process to be expedited so that payments are made within a year to be meaningful to the victims,” he stated.
Additionally, the MP urged KWS to conduct public awareness campaigns to educate residents on compensation procedures. Many locals, he noted, remain unaware of where to report wildlife attacks and how claims are processed. “Our people should know how much compensation is paid and when to expect payment, whether for death, injury, or crop destruction. This will help curb retaliatory attacks where communities kill wildlife in response to losses,” he added.
Jeremiah Ngashngash, a village elder from Elang’ata Enkima, noted that frequent livestock attacks by hyenas and lions severely impact the community’s livelihood. He decried the undervaluation of lost livestock and called for more timely payments. “While we have benefited from other KWS projects such as boreholes, we are requesting more timely compensation and the installation of solar lights to deter wildlife attacks at night,” he said.
Simon Olashumpai, a resident of Kuku Ward, expressed concern over the high costs farmers incur to have agricultural officers assess and validate wildlife-related damages. “Some of our farms were destroyed years ago, and we are still following up on payments. A hyena killed 20 of my goats in January last year, yet we are still awaiting compensation despite KWS promising prompt payment. They need to act faster,” he lamented.
Residents also urged KWS to implement measures to minimize human-wildlife conflict, including drilling boreholes and constructing water pans for wildlife away from homesteads.
In response, KWS Kajiado Assistant Director Francis Mbaka encouraged residents to report wildlife-related incidents via the USSD code 20209# for more efficient digital compensation.
