Protest after forest warders shoot and kill peasant farmer

Angry residents of Eburru village in Gilgil brought down a section of the multi-million Eburru Forest electric fence after forest rangers shot dead a farmer.

The farmer’s son managed to escape. Locals demanded the arrest and prosecution of the responsible rangers failure to which they will bring down the whole fence.

Gilgil Deputy County Commissioner Willy Cheboi confirmed the incident saying DCI officers had taken over the matter.

He said Kenya Wildlife Service and Kenya Forest Service officers were working on restoring the damaged section of the fence.

“There was an incident where four forest rangers opened fire killing a resident of Eburru and police have started their investigations,” he said.

Joseph Muchendu, a local, said the farmer and his son had ventured into the forest to collect some wild fruits when the incident occurred.

He said that based on the information from the son, the rangers gave chase to the duo before opening fire without provocation.

“The deceased was shot in the neck while the son managed to escape and informed members of the public who in turn brought down a section of the fence,” he said.

Gilgil MP Martha Wangari called for the immediate arrest of all the officers involved, adding that for years the community has been involved in the conservation of the forest.

“It’s a sad day that some officers decided to take a life in the name of conserving a forest and it’s time that they were arrested and charged with murder,” she said.