President William Ruto has announced that the compensation period for the families of citizens who are killed by wildlife, especially elephants, is 6 months.
Speaking in the Rumuruti area of Laikipia county on Friday when launching a program to compensate the families of people killed by elephants, More than 960 million shillings, Ruto said that from now on, anyone killed by an elephant his family will be compensated 5 million shillings by the government.
The President said there were about 17,000 confirmed compensation claims worth Sh7 billion for the period 2014-2023 but the government has since paid Sh4 billion to about 10,000 beneficiaries.
He instructed the Ministry of Tourism to speed up the payment of the remaining 7,000 confirmed creditors and be paid Sh3 billion within the next 60 days.
The compensation claims are for deaths, injuries, crop damage, hunting and property damage caused by wild animals in six counties.
“Last year it was established in Taita Taveta County, today we have moved to Laikipia County and my instructions are as follows,” he said.
“So far we have compensated Sh4 billion by the end of this compensation today. Others that are ongoing, about 7,000 cases that have already been confirmed, my instructions are that we should compensate those people in the next 60 days.”
The President said that quick compensation will build public confidence in the conservation of wildlife and avoid hostility from the community whenever wildlife is lost in human habitations.
“We must involve the people in conservation because the people being at the core of every program ensures sustainability. We have also made changes, previously if a person was mauled to death by an elephant, the compensation was Sh200,000. Now we have said that if a citizen is killed by an elephant, the compensation is Sh5 million,” Ruto he added.
He said the victims due to wildlife attacks will be compensated according to the level of damage caused by the animals up to Sh4 million.
