The Indian Crow is a serious pest at the Coast. It is an invasive species that came to East Africa in the colonial times from India. It is a scavenger that feeds on crop seeds and bird eggs.
The crow was almost eradicated 15 years ago through Starlicide poison, which then became unavailable. Three years ago, the government gave a monopoly to Little Kenya Gardens Limited to import Starlicide but it failed to do so.
The Kenya Wildlife Service is so worried about the Indian Crow that it wants to import Starlicide on its own account but Little Kenya Gardens has refused permission to KWS even though it has not brought any Starlicide to Kenya itself.
Monopolies are undesirable. Inefficiency is rewarded rather than punished.
The owner of Kenya Little Gardens says that she has been given six months by Tourism CS Najib Balala to import this critically-needed poison but that is too long.
Kenya cannot afford to wait while the invasive Indian Crow eliminates our native species. The Environment and Wildlife ministries should urgently issue an import licence for Starlicide to KWS who can then start controlling Indian Crow numbers at the Coast.
Quote of the day: "You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say."
Martin Luther
He became a doctor of theology on October 19, 1512
