Monkeys, hippos making Siaya residents’ lives unbearable

By Isaiah Gwengi

Siaya, Kenya: Marauding troops of monkeys and hippos are making life a misery for residents of Usigu Division in Siaya.

The animals have been straying into farms and homes, destroying crops and property. Among the dejected residents is William Osanya Uyoga. He can no longer get any fruit from his farm. “All the fruits I planted have been destroyed by monkeys. I have decided to cut them down to keep them away,” says Uyoga.

However, cutting down the fruits have not yielded much difference. Today, Uyoga is desperately trying to come to terms with the trails of damage the monkeys have caused to his house.

“I thought that by cutting down the fruits I would have relieved myself from the animals’ menace. But they have now turned back to my house where they have massively destroyed the roof,” he regrets.

For Jared Owuor, a farmer in Ussenge sub-location, almost all the crops he has been tending for the last three months have been destroyed by monkeys. The animals have made his life and that of other farmers unbearable.

For a long time, Owuor and other residents have been depending on fishing as a source of livelihood. However, as the fishing fortune tumbled, he resorted to farming.

“The way things stand today, we are soon going to run out of food as the animals continue to destroy our crops,” says Owuor.

He says the region is fertile and has a great potential of producing food for most households and that hunger will be a thing of the past only if the animals can be tamed.

“We are poor and hungry because there are no efforts by the responsible authorities to avoid the persistent human-animal conflict here,” he adds.

In Usoga village, Got-Agulu sub-location, the script is the same. Hippos and wild pigs are a thorn in the flesh for the residents going by the havoc they wreak which is worse than that inflicted by the monkeys.

According to the Village Elder Isaiah Onyango, the animals have left trails of damage to crops and they are afraid that they may even invade homes.

Onyango adds, “The animals have destroyed our crops especially for those whose farms are along the shore. When they finish the crops, I am afraid they might troop to our homes.”

Other residents are, however, pointing accusing fingers at the Kenya Wildlife Service and the government for their reluctance in handling the wildlife menace.

James Ojwang’ says, “We have been complaining to the relevant authorities, but all we receive in return are threats that we’ll face arrest if we kill the animals.”

For Samwel Abiero, using dogs to scare away the monkeys has at least controlled the situation.

“We are now forced to tie dogs in the farms to scare the monkeys away of which they sometimes overlook and continue with the destruction,” Abiero said.

According to Wildlife Conservation Management Act, compensation can only be done incase wildlife attacks result in death or injury only. It also indicates that the law does not provide for compensation for destroyed crops and property.

The Act provides for compensation of up to Sh50,000 for injury and Sh200 000 for death.

This provision is however, unfavouring the farmers and residents whose property and crops have been destroyed.