Tens of acres of vegetation in Mt Longonot National Park in Naivasha were reduced to ashes following an outbreak of fire.
During the Tuesday evening incident, hundreds of wild animals spilled to nearby homes and the Naivasha-Mai Mahiu road as they fled the fire.
By Wednesday morning, sections of the park near Kedong ranch were still on fire as KWS officers and members of the public moved in to contain it.
Already, hundreds of wildlife from the park and the nearby Hell's Gate National Park have been pushed to neighbouring farms in search of water and pasture because of the ongoing drought.
Hell's Gate senior warden Francis Muchiri said they were working round the clock to contain the fire. They suspected a cigarette butt could have caused the fire that spread from the bottom of Mt Longonot to the peak.
“There was a fire outbreak around Mt Longonot and we are still fighting it before it destroys more vegetation in the area,” he said.
Muchiri said the dry vegetation, coupled with strong winds, was affecting the exercise but was optimistic that this would be contained.
This came as Naivasha residents expressed their concern over the high number of wild animals straying onto their farms and into their homes in recent months.
Friends of Lake Naivasha chairman Francis Muthui said the number of wildlife fleeing from Lake Naivasha, ranches and the two national parks to farms was on the rise.
Muthui added that in two national parks, the animals were fleeing in large numbers in search of water and pasture.
“We have seen many wildlife routes closed down, pushing the animals onto the highway, while cases of game meat trade have soared,” he said.
He said the rise in water levels in the lake had reduced pastureland, pushing the animals onto nearby estates and into the central business district.
“Nowadays, zebras are feeding on the streets of Naivasha while hippos are roaming in Kihoto estate and along the Moi South Lake road exposing motorists to great danger,” he said.
-Edited by SKanyara
