Governor Joseph Ole Lenku, wants Kenya Wildlife Services to unconditionally release the suspects who killed six lions in Imbirrikani on Friday night.
“While we appreciate the role of wildlife in our tourism economy, it is not acceptable that they can be allowed to invade farms and kill livestock or people,” Lenku said.
Lenku said the incident in Imbirikani where six lions were killed for attacking livestock is yet another demonstration of a community's anger at being neglected.
“Our people are running out of patience for constant attacks by wildlife. We demand the release of all the five people arrested,” he said.
The governor made the remarks after meeting with the Tourism and Wildlife CS Peninah Malonza, in Imbirrikani on Sunday.
Malonza met with all the elected leaders in Kajiado South subcounty and the KWS officials during a consultative community meeting in Imbirrikani to get to the bottom of the matter.
“I look forward to full implementation of the resolutions to end the human-wildlife conflict and to have all pending compensations paid out,” Lenku said.
Malonza called for a probe into the killings.
The residents said wild animals have been causing destruction for a long time and called on the government to put measures in place to safeguard their farms and livestock pens.
KWS assured that they would work together to find lasting solutions to the conflicts.
“KWS is dedicated to safeguarding Kenya's wildlife and ensuring that wildlife continues to be an integral part of our country's heritage. The Service encourages everyone to work together towards creating a peaceful co-existence between humans and wildlife,” Malonza said.
The tourism ministry, however, warned residents against taking the law into their hands but instead involve KWS whenever there is a problem.
On Sunday, the World Wide Fund for Nature Kenya termed the killing unprecedented and called for an intervention, warning that Kenya was at risk of lion extinction if the conflicts persist.
“Human-lion conflict is now an unprecedented crisis. A threat to people's lives, their livelihoods, and the dwindling lion population,” WWF-Kenya’s Biodiversity, Research and Innovation Programme Manager Yussuf Wato said.
According to Kenya’s latest wildlife census conducted in 2021, an estimated 2,500 lions are in the country.
"Unless we act decisively and urgently we could be facing the extinction of lions in Kenya in our generation. Our human-wildlife conflict interventions and mitigation measures need a radical shift and to be urgently scaled up," Wato.
