Alarm over poaching as three giraffes killed daily in N. Kenya

A wildlife ranger inspects a dead giraffe that was trapped by a fence in the Mailwa area in Kajiado Central. [File, Standard]

For generations, the reticulated giraffe has roamed the dry plains of northern Kenya, its distinctive reddish-brown coat marked by an intricate pattern of white lines.

But across Garissa, Wajir and Mandera, one of Kenya’s most recognisable wildlife species faces growing threats from drought, habitat pressure, human-wildlife conflict and poaching for meat.

Conservationists say the killings are occurring at an alarming rate, while the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) insists intensified security operations have significantly reduced wildlife crime.

The dispute has placed the Somali giraffe, one of northern Kenya’s iconic species, at the centre of a wider debate over whether wildlife protection in the region is receiving adequate resources.

The North Eastern Conservancies Association (NECA) claims at least three Somali giraffes are being illegally killed every day across parts of northern Kenya.

“We are now recording a minimum of three Somali giraffes being illegally killed every single day across Northern Kenya. If this trend continues, Kenya risks presiding over the destruction of one of the world’s most important remaining populations of Somali giraffes,” NECA said in a letter to KWS Director General Prof Erustus Kanga, President William Ruto, the Ministry of Tourism, Parliament and governors in North-Eastern Kenya.

NECA chief executive Sharmake Sheikh told the Standard that the figure could be higher in some areas. “Sometimes even five giraffes, seven giraffes” are killed in a day, he said, adding that the organisation estimated 15 giraffes were lost in the Sabuli area within a single week.

KWS strongly disputes the scale of the killings.

Jamal Rashid, the KWS county warden in Wajir, said only two giraffe-poaching incidents had been recorded this year. “There is no cause for alarm. We are on top of things,” Rashid said.

He said KWS had deployed a mobile platoon to Habaswein in Wajir South, an area he said holds about 60 per cent of Wajir’s Somali giraffe population.

Six suspects arrested

Between 2025 and 2026, about six suspects had been arrested in connection with wildlife crime, he said, with some cases still before the courts and others resulting in convictions.

The competing accounts raise a difficult question: how can a wildlife population be growing while reports of individual animals being killed continue to emerge?

According to KWS, Kenya’s latest census recorded 12,967 Somali giraffes, up from 6,120 in 2021. “The growth of the reticulated giraffe population from 6,120 in 2021 to 12,967 in 2025 is an indicator of the conservation efforts KWS is doing on the ground,” Rashid said.

KWS says the increase demonstrates the impact of its conservation measures. However, population growth does not necessarily mean every population or hotspot is secure.

The agency’s National Recovery and Action Plan for Giraffe 2023–2027 identifies poaching and the bushmeat trade among the threats facing giraffes in Kenya.

Data from the KWS Wildlife Forensics and Genetics Laboratory cited in the recovery plan show that between 2016 and 2022, giraffes accounted for 55 of 930 reported poaching cases nationally, about six per cent. The plan records a spike in giraffe poaching cases in 2019, although KWS says the reason remains unknown.

For Sheikh, the concern is not simply the national population figure, but what is happening to animals in particular hotspots.

He said recent killings around Kumahumato had raised alarm, with poachers allegedly travelling from nearby refugee camps. “Currently, right now, this surge in killings around Kumahumato, it’s just refugees,” Sheikh said.

He claimed some poachers use spears while others use firearms, travelling on motorcycles from refugee camps about 25 to 30 kilometres away.

Sheikh said giraffe killings occur throughout the year, but intensify when temporary KWS operations are withdrawn and meat prices rise. “This meat is sold locally and in the refugee camps. These meats are also exported to our neighbouring countries, Somalia and Ethiopia,” he said.

He said giraffes had become attractive targets because of the amount of meat obtained from a single animal. “It’s meat,” he said when asked what was driving the killings. “Our people, the criminal enterprises, both within our communities, individuals that are known who are killing this and selling it cheap as compared to camel meat or even goat meat.”

He also alleged that some meat is moved across borders and sold at higher prices. Another factor, he said, was a belief among some consumers that giraffe meat can treat certain ailments. Such consumption, he warned, could expose people to zoonotic diseases.

The pressure is not limited to giraffes. Northern Kenya supports some of the country’s most distinctive wildlife, including the critically endangered hirola, gerenuk, Grevy’s zebra, Somali ostrich, Beisa oryx and elephants. KWS describes the reticulated giraffe as one of the region’s “Special Five”, alongside Grevy’s zebra, Somali ostrich, gerenuk and Beisa oryx.

For conservationists, every carcass therefore represents more than an isolated wildlife crime.

The region’s vast landscape makes enforcement particularly difficult. Wajir alone covers about 56,000 square kilometres, with poor communication networks in some areas. “Look at a situation where 56,000-kilometre terrain, poor terrain with some poor networks in some areas and reporting becomes now somehow delayed. That is the only problem,” he said.

KWS says it is responding by increasing its presence in northern Kenya. The agency has deployed a full company to Wajir, with a dedicated platoon at Habaswein. Construction of a permanent platoon base is under way, while another platoon is operational in Wajir East.“While poaching was rampant in previous years, it has now been reduced to minimal levels due to the heightened presence and vigilance of our officers,” KWS said.

The Service also says it is working with communities through local radio stations to improve awareness and encourage residents to report wildlife crime. For NECA, however, the problem is the size of KWS’s footprint. Sheikh argues that communities living alongside wildlife in northern Kenya often have limited access to wildlife authorities and compensation mechanisms. “They’re not seeing the benefits. They’re only seeing the disadvantages of living with wildlife,” he said.

Giraffes, he said, have also become a source of conflict in parts of Garissa and Wajir, where communities cultivate crops and fruit trees along rivers. He wants KWS to establish a permanent presence in the region and work more closely with community conservancies.

“We need these wildlife protected, keep these corridors open and help our communities realise the importance of wildlife,” he said.