NAIROBI, July 13 (Xinhua) -- Kenya on Thursday released 908 million shillings (about 6.42 million U.S. dollars) as compensation for victims of human-wildlife conflict.
Peninah Malonza, cabinet secretary for the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Heritage, said in a statement released in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi that this was the first time in more than nine years that the money was being released.
"The money covers the pending claims across the country for victims, some who were badly affected. Some of the cases date back to the 1990s," she said.
Malonza added that the money will cater to various categories of victims, including those who died or were crippled due to wildlife attacks.
The major human-wildlife conflicts in Kenya include crop raids, attacks on humans and livestock, and property damage. These are mainly caused by animals that include lions, elephants, leopards, hyenas, crocodiles, and snakes.
The conflicts are rampant in Kenya because of the growing population that has seen human encroachment in wildlife-protected areas and climate change effects like drought, which make animals venture into human settlements in search of food and water.
The latter has been on the rise as Kenya faces the worst effects of climate change, including a recent drought that was the worst in 40 years.
Malonza said at least 492 people who sustained injuries due to wildlife attacks between 2014 and 2019 are among those to be compensated as well as families of those who died.
In a bid to hasten compensation to victims of wildlife attacks, the National Assembly of Kenya allocated 5.6 million dollars for the setting up of an insurance scheme in this financial year 2023/24.
The trial phase of the scheme is expected to be implemented in hotspot regions, namely Garissa, Meru, Taita Taveta, Narok, Kajiado, and Makueni.
According to the National Assembly's Committee on Tourism and Wildlife, there are over 6,351 claims arising from human-wildlife conflict in Kenya, totaling about 35 million dollars.
Kenya's wildlife sector is one of the main tourist attractions alongside beaches, as tourists visit the country to see wild animals. The East African country received 1.48 million tourists in 2022, an increase from 870,465 visitors in 2021, earning 1.89 billion dollars, a rise from 1.03 billion dollars in 2021.
