Kenya: Arson as a mode of protest is unacceptable

NAIROBI: Kingwal Swamp in Nandi County, home to the rare antelope specie Sitatunga, was recently set on fire by irate residents who appear to have an axe to grind with the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) officials in the locality.

An unknown number of the rare species of antelope is said to have died as a result of the deliberate arson while several others were displaced from their natural habitat, though efforts are underway to trace and rehabilitate them.

Kenya is home to about 250 of the antelopes and Kingwal camp has been home to at least 100 of them.

This criminal activity is a serious setback in the Government's efforts to revive the fledgling tourist industry that took a serious beating from last year's terrorist activities and subsequent travel advisories by Western countries.

The Kenya Wildlife Service has a duty to protect wild animals and ensure they stay within their designated areas.

Since the area in question is a swamp, the question of human-wildlife conflict does not arise and the residents could merely be resisting attempts by the rangers to stop them from poaching the antelopes; lest they become extinct, given their small numbers.

The burning of 5,000 acres of land did not only displace and kill the antelopes; there are several other species of say, butterflies, snakes and chameleons that died in the inferno.

Excess smoke released into the environment is a health hazard to the residents and contributes to global warming, a phenomena that affects our weather patterns.

Agricultural production has gone down as a consequence.

Burning a natural habitat as a way of protest is ill-informed and those responsible must face the full might of the law.

There are better ways of conflict resolution.

It is regrettable that residents living along the swamp have not shown remorse and instead threatened to repeat the action "if KWS officials continue to harass them".

It is against this backdrop that civic education on the effects of such negative activities is imperative.

Underlying issues of misunderstanding between warders and residents should be identified and ironed out as soon as possible.