The Narok County government will compensate victims of wildlife attack to a tune of Sh3 million in addition to Sh5 million given by the National government.
Narok Governor Patrick Ntutu said the bill is in its last stages at the County Assembly and is expected to be concluded before the end of the year to become law.
“The bill is in the County Assembly being debated by the Members of the County Assembly, I believe they will pass it before the end of the year so that I can be signed into law,” he said.
He spoke during the World Rangers Day celebrated at Mara North Conservancy at the Maasai Mara National Reserve where he underscored that the initiative is anchored in the Maasai Mara Management Plan 2023-2033 that was passed into law last year.
Governor Ntutu reiterated that the county government has trained and equipped rangers in Narok county so as to empower them to do their job in an effective and efficient manner.
“The county government has purchased sophisticated weapons and seven land cruiser vehicles that they will be using to ease their work of patrolling the Maasai Mara National Reserve,” he underscored.
Maasai Mara Wildlife Conservancies Association (MMWCA) chairman Daniel Ole Sopia disclosed that the biggest challenge the conservancies were facing around the world is lack of proper training and equipment that has jeopardized their operations.
However, he said over 60 per cent of rangers at MMWCA had undergone the training and were well equipped to tackle their job.
“Training one ranger for three months’ costs approximately Sh250, 000. This is too expensive and not all conservancies can afford to train their rangers, “he said, asking the government to extend this as one of the incentives to the private conservancies.
Conservation Secretary in the State Department for Wildlife Dr. John Chumo, said the demonstrations experienced into the country last month did not affect tourism because we have seen a spike of tourists flocking the Maasai Mara National Reserve to witness the wildebeest migration phenomena that occurs from July to October every year.
The leaders eulogized rangers who died while in their line of duty saying their utmost sincerity and devotion to protect both the wildlife and people of Mara was greatly appreciated and that they had left a legacy that will forever be celebrated.
Maasai Mara ecosystem is the biggest source of revenue for the Narok County Government as it generates about Sh3.5 billion revenue annually.
The compensation is expected to motivate the Maa pastoralist community that live with the animals in the same environs and have reported numerous cases of human-wildlife conflicts. – By Ann Salaton
