Farmers in Eburru, Gilgil, have been forced to spend nights in their farms to protect their crops from buffaloes. Some of them have made makeshift beds on top of trees in their farms to be their resting places while they keep vigil. “We are now forced to stay awake the whole night and alert each other when the buffaloes invade the farms,” said John Mwangi, a resident. He added that a majority of crops in his three-acre farm had already been destroyed, which has left him wondering whether he will have enough food for his family in future. Some residents say the buffalo menace is taking a toll on their family life as men are forced to spend nights outdoors. On Wednesday morning, over 300 residents blocked the busy Naivasha-Eburru road in protest, saying children were keeping off school for fear of being attacked. In a bid to keep the buffaloes away, the villagers are digging a five-foot-deep trench that will stretch over five kilometres. “The buffaloes, however, jump through some of the trenches that we have dug. We intend to make the new holes bigger so that the beasts are trapped inside when they attempt to invade our farms,” said Samuel Karanja. Karanja accused the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) officers of dragging their feet in responding reports of attacks. “They do not respond on time, which forces us to chase the animals by ourselves,” he added. Boniface Thuo, a local leader, said: “We suspect that the buffaloes have been relocated to this place by KWS in the last few months. They are a huge menace to us.” KWS officer Moses Omulambi attributed the human-wildlife conflict to insufficient rainfall that has seen area experience perennial drought. “We have, however, embarked on fencing the Eburru forest so as to stop the menace,” he noted.

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