State to provide water, food to park neighbours

The Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Heritage will provide the human population living near the Amboseli National Park with water and relief food until the current drought is contained.

Cabinet Secretary for Tourism, Wildlife and Heritage Peninah Malonza says that the current drought situation in the country occasioned by climate change has adversely affected both human beings and wildlife.

“If one wishes to see the results of the current drought which is caused by climate change today, you just need to tour Amboseli National Park, one of the hardest hit areas. However, we will continue to do all that we can by providing the wildlife with water, fodder and mineral salts to lessen the effects of the drought” said Malonza.

CS Malonza made the remarks during the Second Edition of the Magical Kenya Tembo Naming Festival which was held during the commemoration of the Annual World Wildlife Day held yearly on the 3rd of March. The event was held at the Amboseli National Park which is one of the hardest hit parks by the prevailing drought situation.

Mitigation towards drought

Malonza called on donor organizations and private sector players including non-governmental organizations to give a helping hand towards mitigation of impact of drought amongst communities living around the parks as well as wildlife.

At the same time, she hailed the Tembo Naming festival as a remarkable milestone in the conservation efforts.

“In line with the partnership component of this year’s World Wildlife Day, we decided to incorporate the Tembo Naming Festival, an initiative by the Kenya Tourism Board. This is an innovative sustainable programme aimed at championing elephant conservation in Kenya” said the CS

The CS lauded organizations and partners whose efforts, she noted, are critical in not just protecting elephants but also supporting communities living alongside wildlife to coexist peacefully with wildlife through education and awareness creation programmes.