• Tourism CS Najib Balala revealed that the population of elephants is over 36,000. Lions are 2,589.
• A baby boom of elephants has recently been recorded in Amboseli.
Kenya’s population of wildlife is increasing, giving the state sleepless nights on how to curb human-wildlife conflict.
The state is also grappling with how to create more space for the iconic species.
On Monday, Tourism CS Najib Balala said that the population of elephants had increased, fueling conflict.
“We have a population of over 36,000 elephants and conserving them is not easy. It is very expensive,” Balala said.
He was however cagey about the status of other wildlife, saying the results will be released this week by President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Balala said there were 16,000 elephants in the country in 1989.
The National Wildlife Census covering both land and aquatic wildlife was launched on May 7.
Balala presided over the launch at Shimba Hills National Reserve in Kwale county.
The exercise was fully funded by the government for Sh250 million and was executed by the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, the Kenya Wildlife Service and the newly created Wildlife Research and Training Institute.
The findings will aid decision-making.
The CS had revealed that the lion population was also increasing as the current population is 2,589 as per the just concluded census.
These lions are found in a number of Kenya’s protected areas, with large populations in the Maasai Mara and the Tsavo ecosystem.
In addition, there are important lion populations outside protected areas in Laikipia and Kajiado.
Balala made his remarks at the Kenya Wildlife Service headquarters when he received cheques that will go towards naming jumbos at Amboseli National Park.
Kenya will host the first annual Magical Kenya Elephant Naming Festival starting October 9 in Amboseli.
A baby boom of elephants has recently been recorded in Amboseli.
The exercise was to be held during World Elephant Day but was postponed.
With 1,800 elephants at the Amboseli National Park, this will be the first-ever wildlife conservation event.
The exercise is meant to celebrate and champion elephant conservation by giving the public an opportunity to adopt and give the selected elephants unique identities.
The goal of the festival is to secure a future for elephants and their habitats in peaceful co-existence with humans while providing benefits for posterity.
Balala said it is a moral opportunity for all to ensure that the iconic species are protected.
“It is a moral responsibility for us all to protect and conserve them for posterity. Without conserving them, there is no future,” he said.
A total of Sh4 million was raised during the event after Chandaria Foundation donated Sh500,000.
Others that donated include Africa Wildlife Foundation (Sh500,000), East African Classic Safaris Sh2.5 million and Ol Tukai Sh500,000.
Balala said elephants are the most destructive and there is a need to have mitigation measures.
The CS revealed that the Tourism and Conservation Fund had been established with the government pumping in Sh200 million.
“The board is set to be unveiled soon and regulations put in place to address some of the challenges,” he said.
Balala pointed out that the board of the tourism fund will have experienced professionals who will play a key role in fundraising.
The CS lauded Kenya Wildlife Service for taming poaching that was getting out of hand.
He said eleven elephants have been poached recently down from about 400 that were poached in 2013.
“This is a big achievement. It is not easy and it is costly,” Balala said of anti-poaching strategies that have been put in place.
He said some ivory markets have been shut down, curtailing the demand.
Statistics from the Tourism ministry show that 80 elephants were killed by poachers in 2017. The number decreased to 38 in 2018.
In 2019, 38 elephants were killed by poachers.
In 2017, 10 rhinos were killed and another four in 2018. In 2019, four other rhinos were killed. No rhino was killed in 2020.
Balala challenged the private sector to invest in conservation.
He said the naming exercise will be done every year in order to profile and market the country as the best tourist destination.
Balala said human-wildlife conflict is a serious challenge that must urgently be addressed in order to gain the confidence of communities hosting wildlife.
The government is grappling with settling Sh 14 billion compensation to the victims of human-wildlife conflict.
Balala said there is a need to have innovative approaches towards fundraising for conservation.
Edited by Henry Makori