A lion at the Tsavo National Park. mnn.comMCAs in Taita Taveta County have threatened to stage protests and block the ever busy Nairobi-Mombasa Highway over rising wildlife attacks.
Led by Sagalla MCA Godwin Kilele, the ward representatives said residents of Taita Taveta were fed up with the silence by the Kenya Wildlife Service over the attacks in which over 20 people have lost their lives in the past one year.
“Does KWS really exist?” the MCAs asked as he addressed the press on Friday.
“The only remaining option we have at our disposal is to block the Nairobi-Mombasa Road if that is what will make our voice heard.”
On January 9, the Taita Taveta County government said it will sue the KWS for laxity in addressing the increasing cases of animal attacks.
Governor John Mruttu, speaking in Sagalla after receiving a petition from residents, said he will present the petition in court to compel the national government to compensate victims of human/wildlife conflict.
"Our people are dying. Some are nursing very serious injuries due to wildlife attacks and many farmers are counting losses after their crops were destroyed. The most unfortunate thing is that the concerned authorities are doing nothing to curb these losses," he said.
Julius Cheptei, the Tsavo Conservation Area assistant director, said the agency launched an operation to drive out elephants from community land.