Taita,Taveta,KENYA:A section of Mwatate residents are now calling for the resignation of Tourism and wildlife Cabinet secretary Najib Balala and his Public secretary Maragaret Mwakima .
The residents who held demonstrations on Monday in Mwatate town accused Balala and Mwakima of doing nothing to address the escalating cases of human wildlife conflict that have left them counting losses after their livestock were eaten by lions that have encroached human settlements.
This is following the loss of more than 300 cows that were eaten by the straying predators.
The residents demands were echoed by the Taita Taveta deputy governor Majala Mlaghui who
also called for resignation of Dr Mwakima over what she termed as blatant failure to push for a permanent solution to save the residents from attacks by the wild-animals.
“Three weeks down the line we are still experiencing invasion by stray lions, we have reported the matter to KWS informing them that the animals are killing our livestock but we have not seen positive response from them, we will fight to have the management of the expansive national conservation reverted back to the county,”said the Taita Taveta deputy governor.
Deputy governor Majala Mlaghui asked legislators to initiate a process that will ensure that the management of Tsavo National Park is put under the county government.
However the Mwatate Deputy County Commissioner Kennedy Gitonga said lack of proper equipment is delaying the capturing of stray lions that have been terrorizing the residents.
“Its worth noting that we are dealing with wild animals while ill-equipped, we don’t have devices to trace them during the night when they attack, we are forced to wait until there is adequate light in the morning, it is not easy,”
He at the same time called upon the residents to be cautious against the wild-animals to avoid loss of life.
“We know the animals are just hiding in the nearby bushes ,we have not been lucky to capture and taken them back the park, we have advised the locals to stay indoors at night,learners should not leave for school very early in the morning nor start journey back home late in the evening,” Gitonga said.
