Residents of Mkokoni in Lamu East Constituency have called for urgent government action over increasing attacks from both land and marine wildlife, highlighting deaths, injuries, and destruction of property.
The National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Tourism and Wildlife, led by Vice-Chairperson Rashid Bedzimba, held a public forum on Friday to hear grievances from locals who claim that their livelihoods are under constant threat.
The forum, hosted by area MP Ruweida Obo, provided a platform for residents to voice the unique challenges faced by both farmers and fishermen in the region.
“I take this opportunity to welcome the Departmental Committee on Tourism and Wildlife to Mkokoni, Lamu East Constituency. This is your chance, as residents, to air your grievances regarding human-wildlife conflict. You face a unique situation here because some of you are farmers and others fishermen—both on land and at sea you are affected by wildlife and marine animals,” Obo said.
Residents recounted harrowing experiences of losing family members, suffering injuries, and seeing farms and fishing gear destroyed by wildlife.
Obo Chanza, a local resident, said, “We have been greatly affected by wildlife, especially during drought when they wander in search of water and food. We request an electric fence and water pans to keep animals from destroying our farms.”
Chanza added that the nearby Boni Forest is home to dangerous animals, noting, “People have been mauled by lions and buffaloes, while others suffer from snake bites. The buffalo are numerous and extremely destructive. Worse still, compensation claims take years to be processed.”
The discussions also drew attention to the often-overlooked dangers posed by marine wildlife.
Fishermen described encounters with sharks, stingrays, starfish, and water snakes, some leaving victims permanently disabled or dead.
Bakari, a fisherman, emphasized, “Wildlife is not just the lion, the hyena, or the buffalo. There is wildlife in the water too. Why must they compensate someone bitten by a snake in the bush and refuse to compensate a fisherman bitten by a snake in the ocean? Marine animals like sharks and whales are equally dangerous.”
Residents accused the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife and the Kenya Wildlife Service of neglect, claiming local KWS officers are ill-equipped and immobile, leaving communities exposed.
Several compensation cases, including that of Bakari who suffered a snake bite in 2015, remain unresolved even after years, with some never paid.
Chanza lamented, “Compensation bureaucracy is killing us. Our voices are ignored while focus remains only on forest wildlife. But for us, marine animals are just as deadly.”
MP Peter Shake of Mwatate pledged to raise the issues highlighted in Mkokoni during the Committee’s ongoing national inquiry into human-wildlife conflicts, promising that the residents’ concerns would be given attention at the national level.
