Councillor wants snakebite victims paid

Matano Manne residents now want the Kenya Wildlife Service to compensate those  bitten by snakes. Vitengeni ward Councilor  Teddy Mwambire said most of the  residents  bitten  by snakes have not neither been compensated nor their cases  documented by KWS. “In this area we have a very big challenge of snakebites. It has affected us greatly and KWS should do something about it,” he said. He lamented that KWS was reluctant to compensate them but if someone is found with a snake’s skin is charged a lot of money or faces jail term.

A resident Mwanaisha Juma said that most parents have lost their children due to snake bites in area. “Cases of snake bites or swallowing little children are rampant here. We want KWS to come up a longterm solution to ensure that these wild animals do not get their way into residential areas,” “We can be compensated but I don’t think that is enough,” she added. KWS’s Assistant Director Coast region said that they have been compensating victims in the past. He noted that if a victim is dead they give Sh. 50, 000 but if the victim is dead they give out Sh. 200, 000. He told the residents to record any case to KWS offices. Gitau however, noted that the compensation programme for snake bites has been suspended for sometime till they review it.