Meru Governor Isaac Mutuma has stirred online debate after urging the government to allow locals to milk elephants and camels at Meru National Park. An analogy that seemed to miss its mark with interesting interpretations, if reactions online are anything to go by.
"Watu wa Meru wamelia kwa miaka mingi. Nimekuwa nikifikiria mbona watu wa Meru na Kenya wanapenda mbuzi, ng'ombe na kondoo. Nimejua ni kwa sababu wanapata maziwa wanakunywa. Nikauliza ni kwa nini hatujatangamana na kufurahia ndovu wetu, zebra, gazelle. Nikajua ni kwa sababu hawajapata maziwa," Mutuma said.
(The people of Meru have cried for many years. I've been wondering why people in Meru and Kenya love goats, cows, and sheep. I realized it's because they get milk from them. So I asked, why haven't we bonded with and enjoyed our elephants, zebras, and gazelles? I realized it's because we don't get milk from them.)
He continued: "Sheria ya Kenya imewakataza pia kupata nyama kwa hawa wanyama. Sasa tunaomba tupatiwe ruhusa tuanze kukamua ndovu, tukamue giraffe..."
(Kenyan law also forbids us from getting meat from these animals. So we're requesting permission to start milking elephants, to milk giraffes...)
Governor Mutuma made the remarks during the launch of the Human-Wildlife Conflict Compensation Fund in Meru County, in the presence of President William Ruto.
His statement triggered a wave of reactions online, with many Kenyans expressing shock and disbelief.
Purity Masinya commented, "Dunia simama nishuke the other day we saw a video in Meru mtu akigongwa na ndovu and died on the spot... sasa kukamua wataanzaje jameni??"
Pto Crat posed a critical question: "How will milking elephants raise the revenue for Meru Government?"
Victor Victory weighed in with a cautionary tale: "I remember a story a long time ago of someone who was milking an elephant and ended up being hurled to the nearby trees."
Bulle Yussuf asked, "Kenyans are being taken for a ride. Why can't the governor purchase high-breed cows, cattle, or goats so the community can have milk? Or follow the Samburu style-purchase camels and distribute them among the Meru people instead of always depending on miraa and mogoka. Or he should go benchmarking in India because they keep elephants and buffaloes and they milk them."
However, despite the interesting reaction to the Meru Governor's analogy, this wouldn't be the first time a community is trying to make the most of its natural resources by harnessing them to their benefit.
Governor Mutuma took office in March 2025 after the impeachment of his predecessor, Kawira Mwangaza.
Mwangaza, who was elected in August 2022, faced ongoing friction with the Meru County Assembly, resulting in three impeachment attempts.
While the first attempt in December 2022 was overturned by the Senate, subsequent efforts in October 2023 and August 2024 cited allegations such as misuse of county resources, nepotism, and abuse of office.
The Senate upheld the third impeachment in August 2024, and the High Court confirmed the ruling in March 2025, officially ending Mwangaza's tenure.
