Govt appoints team to protect rare antelope

The natural habitat of the rare sitatunga antelope faces a bleak future following the rampant use of chemicals by farmers who have encroached on Kingwar Swamp in Nandi District on Kenya's Rift Valley.

Most of the sitatungas, a rare aquatic antelope, have either died or migrated from the 10,000 acre swamp in Nandi District following invasion of its habitat by unscrupulous farmers.

“Greedy farmers have encroached on the Kingwari swamp, where the antelopes stay, and applied poisonous chemicals to clear part of the swamp for farming, but the chemicals have killed many of the antelopes while other have fled after swamp,” the Kenya Wildlife Service’s Nandi District warden Mr Joel Kanda said on Monday.

The KWS official said the Government had formed a committee to resolve the conflict surrounding the 10,000 acre swamp and warned farmers against using chemicals which pollute the swamp.

The 10-man committee will carry out demarcation work at the swamp to establish boundaries between local communities and Nandi Country Council.

The committee will be chaired by the Nandi District environment officer Mr. Joseph Kopecho, water engineer Thomas Katamu, KWS officer Joel Kanda, Kapsabet town clerk Charles Severe and his Nandi County Council counterpart Mr. Henry Loyomoi.

Other members of the committee include the regional manager of the Nyayo Tea Zone Mr. I Kosgei, senior officials from the ministry of Lands, Baraton University of Eastern Africa and local DC Fredrick Ndambuki.

Mr Kopecho told the meeting that for the antelopes should be protected for promotion of tourism in Western Kenya and that farmers who had cleared the swamp for farming be kicked out.

Kopecho said: “Once the committee finishes the work of putting up beacons, farmers who had extended farming to swamp areas where antelopes stay would be flushed out and water-friendly trees planted while eucalyptus trees would be cut down.”