Major KWS shake-up as more rhinos killed

By ALEX KIPROTICH                                      

Nakuru, Kenya: Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has reshuffled staff at Lake Nakuru National Park days after rhinos were killed in broad daylight and their pricy horns taken away by poachers.

In the changes, Assistant Director in charge of the Central Rift region Jonathan Kirui, Senior Warden in Charge of Lake Nakuru Adan Kala and 20 rangers have been moved and their positions will be taken over by a new team.

Kirui, whose portfolio includes overseeing the parks in the Central and South Rift and whose office is headquartered at Lake Nakuru National Park is set to go to the National Defence College for further training, while Kala has been transferred to Malindi.

Kirui and Kala took over from Lydia Kisoyan and John Wambua respectively last year and were hardly a year in office.

Kirui’s position will now be occupied by Nancy Kabete while Dickson Ritan who has been at Ruma National Park replaces Kala.

The 20 rangers moved have been distributed to various parks in the country, with some of them complaining that they were scapegoats in the transfers.

BROAD DAYLIGHT

The killing of tens of rhinos in the park has puzzled many in that it is one of the highly guarded areas in the country, yet most killings have been done in broad daylight.

Last week Thursday poachers entered the park at 3pm, killed a rhino and removed its horns, just 200 metres from the rhino surveillance headquarters.

This happened two days after two other rhinos where killed at 10am, just metres from the assistant director’s office, with many people suspecting that poachers were colluding with corrupt rangers to kill the animals.

Five rhinos were killed in the last one week in the park while around 20 have been felled by poachers’ bullets in the last 10 months.

One of the rangers speaking on condition of anonymity said the killings are well coordinated from Nairobi to the rangers on the ground.

“Like the incident where the rhino was killed on a Tuesday morning, no one can explain how the poachers evaded six ambushes. It is clear they knew where the rangers had laid ambushes and were able to evade them,” said the ranger.

The source added: “Some things are not adding up. When rhinos are killed in broad daylight in a park like Nakuru, there is more than meets the eye.”  Another source privy to the killings alleged the incidents had the blessings of some top KWS officers who ensure that wardens in charge play ball.