The government will not compensate people attacked inside wildlife parks, Makueni county commissioner Mohammed Maalim has said.
Speaking at his office in Wote town on Monday, he said there are changes in wildlife compensation law, which have scrapped payment for snake bites or shark attacks.
"This is a law that was looked into by the National Assembly and so nobody should expect compensation for snake bites or shark attacks," Maalim said.
The administrator, who chairs the committee tasked with vetting compensation claims for wildlife-related cases in the county, said 18 people lost their lives from animal attacks in Makueni between 2014-16.
The government has paid Sh90 million as compensation for the 18 people killed by wild animals in Makueni county within the period. Each family received Sh5 million.
The committee has also approved 27 injuries whose total compensation is Sh5.6 million. He said the committee will be vetting another 1,058 human-wildlife related cases in the next five days.
They include five deaths, injuries (76), predation (73) and 904 cases of property and crops destruction.
"The county is a human-wildlife conflict hotspot, but the Wikiamba- Keringet electric fence has reduced wildlife conflict in the area," Maalim said.
Elephant, crocodile and hippo attacks are the most common in Makueni, he said.
The administrator said the committee will be very strict while approving the applications for compensation.
He said human-wildlife incidences must be reported within 24 hours and all the agencies are required to file their report within 48 hours.
Maalim said the team has been tasked with the responsibility of training people bordering parks on how to live with wild animals.
Edited by A.N
