• The Tourism and Wildlife ministry initiated the process in light of the new wildlife policy.
• The Conservation Alliance of Kenya hosted the virtual meeting on Monday to rally stakeholders and get inputs.
Compensation to victims of human-wildlife conflict and benefit-sharing with hosting communities dominated proceedings during a Monday forum to review the Wildlife Management and Conservation Act, 2013.
The Tourism and Wildlife ministry initiated the process in light of the new wildlife policy.
The Conservation Alliance of Kenya hosted the virtual meeting on Monday to rally stakeholders and get inputs.
Amara Conservation executive director Lori Bergemann termed the system for compensating victims of human-wildlife conflict as "very confusing."
"A small proportion of the community has been paid causing a lot of concerns," she said. Amara is based in Tsavo conservation area.
On December 3, 2019, the Tourism and Wildlife ministry gave out Sh569 million to compensate victims of human-wildlife conflict.
Victims were compensated in three instalments of 30 per cent of the total claim and the final chunk paid once.
The cash was shared among 4,752 out of 13,125 victims whose claims have been approved. The total cash to be paid in compensation is Sh1.553 billion.
Some 4,722 victims claiming up to Sh1.859 billion had their cases deferred until all documents needed were provided and another 3,651 cases amounting to Sh1.506 billion were thrown out.
Failure to report the matter to the police station and unsigned documents were some of the reasons claims were thrown out.
Gerald Ngatia from the National Alliance of Community Forest Associations said human-wildlife conflicts are rarely addressed by authorities.
“Cattle have been killed and there is no compensation seven years down the line," he said.
Ngatia said there is a need for the state to ensure that there is equitable sharing of resources.
"The tourism sector generates a lot of money. However, communities hosting wildlife get almost nothing yet they bear the greatest burden of hosting such wildlife," Ngatia said.
George Wamukoya said 60 per cent of Taita Taveta is under wildlife yet the county has not benefited.
Wamukoya said the law should explicitly detail the role of the ministry. "Compensation issues must be made clear," Wamukoya said.
He said the sustainable utilisation of wildlife must be regulated by an independent institution.
John Kiptum said huge infrastructure has contributed to wildlife loss. Studies have shown that 68 per cent of wildlife has been lost since 1977.
"There are no measures in place to hold institutions and agencies accountable for contributing to wildlife loss," he said.
He cited a transmission line in Lake Elementaita that he said was killing birds.
Lawyer Elizabeth Gitari said the review of wildlife laws has far-reaching implications on resource management in the country.
Gitari cited some of the biggest threats facing wildlife as habitat loss due to land-use changes, destruction of habitat, insecurity, inadequate incentives, and ineffective protected areas management.
Others are bushmeat trade, human-wildlife conflict, pollution, and conflicting sectoral laws.