- President William Ruto last week launched a compensation scheme for damages arising from human-wildlife conflict.
- The body was later handed over to the family for burial according to Islamic customs.
Image: Xinhua/Han Xu
A sixteen-year-old boy was killed by an elephant as he crossed a road where a herd was grazing in Kina, Garbatulla, Isiolo county.
The incident happened in the Barambate area, police and Kenya Wildlife Service officials said.
The body of the boy was found under a tree with multiple injuries after the Monday, April 15 incident.
The body was moved to Nyambene Level Four mortuary for postmortem and later handed over to the family for burial.
Residents have called on authorities to address the human-wildlife conflict, which is on the rise in the region.
The body was later handed over to the family for burial according to Islamic customs.
There are fears residents may try to trace, attack and kill the animal in retaliation.
Such attacks are common in the area.
On the same day, a buffalo attacked and killed a 60-year-old man in Voi.
KWS has mounted a campaign to address the menace, which includes fencing the areas.
The government and conservation groups have a compensation program for people and herders whose livestock are killed by wild animals.
President William Ruto last week launched a compensation scheme for damages arising from human-wildlife conflict.
During the launch, Ruto said that in 2022, the compensation claims stood at Sh7 billion for the period 2014-2023.
The government has since paid Sh4 billion. He said the remaining Sh3 billion compensation claims will be paid in the next 60 days.
“The Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife should speed up the verification exercise and work closely with MPs to ensure that the remaining 7,000 families are compensated in the next 60 days,” he said.
Ruto presented a cheque of Sh960 million for victims of human-wildlife conflict across the country.
He said the process of compensation will in future be made easier, saying unnecessary bureaucracy will be eliminated.
“We have also made changes, previously if someone got mauled to death by an elephant, compensation was Sh200,000. We have now said if a citizen is killed by an elephant compensation is Sh5 million,” Ruto added.
Ruto said that the government would compensate for injuries from wildlife attacks depending on the extent of harm inflicted by the animals up to a maximum of Sh4 million.
The Head of State pointed out that the partnership between the government, the private sector and communities is key in sustaining conservation efforts.
“We must involve the people in conservation because citizens being at the core of every plan ensures sustainability,” said President Ruto.
Officials said the loss of habitat and climate change threatened the number of wild animals the wild and that their future looked "bleak".
The officials say policies aimed at enabling communities to co-exist with wildlife were vital.