Bamba Residents Threaten to Invade Forest, Kill Marauding Elephants

By Julius Mwabonje

Email, thecoastnewspaper@gmail.com

Kilifi County leaders and residents of Bamba area have threatened to kill elephants following what they claimed failure by the government to contain the wild.

Led by county senator and minority leader of Senate Stewart Madzayo, the leaders said elephants had caused deaths of innocent locals and caused massive destruction of crops and property yet no action was being taken.

Speaking in Ndatani Village of Kaya Fungo Ward in Kaloleni constituency, the senator said elephants were not important than the human beings who were suffering due to constant attacks in the area.

“If these Government people cannot protect their elephants, I will come to tell you to take spears to kill them,” he said.

The elephants, according to him, have over the years been destring crops in farms leaving locals in abject poverty as they depend on farming for their livelihoods.

The lawmaker wondered why elephants were allowed to invade farms with crops and endanger the lives of the people.

He said the locals now depend entirely on relief food because of the elephant menace and vowed never to allow them to continue suffering.

“We will not accept it, and will not fear anyone, lets respect each other, One day I will come and tell you to go and take your spears and everything and monitor the elephants if they invade this area we kill them.”

The senator said as a lawyer he was ready to defend his people if they are charged with killing the elephants.

Former Bamba ward MCA Daniel Mangi thanked the Governor of Kilifi County Gideon Mung’aro, principal secretary Fikirini Jacobs for ensuring President William Ruto visits Bamba and directed Shirango conservancy to be deregistered.

However, he said now the situation was worse as the elephants have been left top roam in the area causing massive destruction and threatening livelihoods of the locals.

Mangi said since the presidential directive of deregistration of Shirango conservancy the numbers of elephants invading the area has gone up and called on urgent solution to bring sanity to the area.

Alphonce Mwayaa, who is a former MCA of Kaya Fungo ward, also condemned the continuous invasion by elephants that are allowed to roam freely in the area and also called for action to be taken against them to prevent more destruction and loss of lives.