• The bad weather in Kiboko area near Masimba in Kajiado caused delay as pilots could not risk landing.
• KWS claims oil spills in Kiboko streams causing elephants to search for water in settlement areas, hence the heightened human-wildlife conflict being experienced.
An operation Sunday morning by Kenya Wildlife Service personnel to remove marauding elephants from Masimba area in Kajiado was hampered by bad weather.
The operation headed by KWS’s head of problem animal unit, Vincent Ongwae, is expected to continue until all the stray elephants are driven off from settlement areas bordering Kyulu Hills National Park.
“We should have started this operation by 6am, but visibility for our pilots is really bad as we speak. I will be letting you know what has happened when the clouds clear,” Ongwae said.
An elephant on Friday killed a man in Enkonerei village, three kilometres from Masimba town.
Sonko ole Maruna, 45, was killed as he approached his homestead at 10pm on Friday.
Masimba bumped into a stray elephant that was among other three being chased away from the homestead by his sons.
According to the area chief, Daniel Kanchori, the man was chased for 150 metres before he was eventually trampled upon by one of the jumbos.
“As his sons started beating tins and drums to scare the elephants from the homestead, the jumbos ran in the direction their father was approaching,” said Chief Kanchori.
Kanchori said the sound of tins irritates the elephants, and they must have sped off with anger only for one of them to vent anger on the man.
Ongwae said on Saturday night a team of KWS rangers from Kiboko carried out extensive patrols following the Friday attack.
“The team completed the search without seeing any elephants and the area was calm. This morning another team is on the ground and expects aerial surveillance when this poor weather clears,” he added.
Ongwae denied claims by the local elders that KWS is not responsive to animal attacks.
“Let me, first of all, say what happened to the old man is unfortunate, and should not have happened. I received the report after 10pm on Friday and immediately called Makindu police to take care of the dead body,” Ongwae said.
He said he assisted in the movement of the body to the mortuary in Makindu hospital mortuary.
“We always get these incidences and act immediately. The residents of those affected areas may be thinking that acting may mean we will wipe all the elephants in the area. This is not the case because they understand our rules of engagement,” Ongwae said.
The area chief said that in the last three years, three people have been killed by elephants and scores of others injured.
“Our anger is pegged on the fact that our people are killed and property destroyed but no one has ever been compensated,” said Chief Kanchori.
Ongwae blamed the rising and heavy presence of elephants in Masimba on an oil spillover in the Koboko streams that has forced three elephant families to relocate in search of clean water.
He also said the KWS is planning to erect a 90-kilometre perimeter fence from Makindu to Kilinyet to divert the elephants to the migratory corridor that lies around Masimba.