A herder aged 16 died after being trampled by an
elephant within the Kalama Community Conservancy, Samburu County.
The boy was grazing their livestock when the elephant
attacked him fatally, police and rangers at the conservancy said.
The incident happened on Friday afternoon. The animal
escaped into the forest soon after the incident.
The rangers and police visited the scene and moved the
body to the mortuary pending other procedures.
Such incidents of human-wildlife conflict have been on
the rise amid efforts to address the same.
This is the latest incident of human-wildlife conflict
amid efforts to solve the growing crisis.
The family was advised to lodge a complaint for
possible compensation.
Kenya introduced the third phase of its Human–Wildlife Conflict Compensation Programme, an initiative aimed at addressing these incidents and supporting affected families.
During its launch at Meru National Park, President William Ruto unveiled the innovative Wildlife Conservation Card, a new tool designed to help fund conservation efforts.
“Compensation is justice, but prevention is progress,” Ruto said, emphasising the need for long-term solutions that benefit both people and wildlife.
“Through the Conservation Card, fencing, and community‑led tourism, we are turning conflict into opportunity,” he added.
Developed in partnership with KCB Bank, the Wildlife Conservation Card is available in three tiers—Platinum (Elephant), Gold (Lion), and Silver (Cheetah).
A portion of every transaction made with the card (Sh10, Sh5, and Sh3, respectively) goes directly to the Wildlife Conservation Trust Fund. The initiative aims to enable Kenyans and international supporters to contribute to wildlife conservation while fostering economic benefits for local communities.
With this new approach, Kenya hopes to build a future where humans and wildlife
can coexist more safely and sustainably.
There has been a slight increase in cases of
human-wildlife conflict in various parts of the country.
The most common ones involve elephants. Other wild
animals like leopards attack domestic animals living the common national parks
in the trend amid efforts to address the menace, officials say.
Meanwhile, in Ongata Rongai, Kajiado County, police said they are
investigating murder in an incident where a man was stoned to death over claims
he was a thief. The body of the man was found along Gataka-Kware Road long
after his murder.
The body was moved to the mortuary pending an autopsy
and identification, police said of the Friday incident.
Police discourage mob lynching and term the trend criminal. Police want suspects to be surrendered to authorities for processing and possible prosecution.
