Taita Taveta MPs say livestock destroying Tsavo West National Park, want herders out

Two MPs from Taita Taveta have asked the government to remove more than 300,000 cattle which they say are destroying the natural habitat of Tsavo West National Park.

Wundanyi MP Thomas Mwadeghu Monday questioned why people are allowed to roam the park with impunity thus affecting wildlife.

“As we speak, there are hundreds of thousands of livestock that are causing havoc on the natural habitat that is housing our wildlife heritage,” he said.

According to him, previous efforts to remove the animals from the park have fallen on 'deaf ears’ after three successive county commissioners who tried to deal with the issue were transferred under unclear circumstances.

“Who are these untouchables that are so powerful that any commissioner who tries to deal with them is transferred?” he asked.

He told the government to act fast and remove the livestock before the end of December or else the affected residents will do it themselves.

The MP expressed concern on the invasion of the land by other communities from every corner of the country saying this is unacceptable.

“People are taking advantage of our hospitality to invade our parks with impunity but whether we are few or not we should be left to manage our resources,” he added.

MOBILISE LOCALS

The Wundanyi MP warned that after the December holiday they will mobilise locals to forcibly remove the livestock if the government fails to act promptly.

Concurring with his colleague’s sentiments, Mwatate MP Andrew Mwadime wondered why the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) is reluctant to act while the wildlife is being pushed out of the national park.

“Those animals are turning the national park into a desert and the government is quiet about it,” he claimed.

The MPs also questioned why it is taking too long to release the survey report on the boundaries of the vast 30,000-acre Teita Sisal Estate land in Mwatate Sub-County.

DELAYED REPORT

In separate interviews, Mr Mwadime and Mr Mwadeghu expressed disappointment over the delay which they said is causing anxiety among residents.

Mr Mwadime said he pushed a parliamentary committee to visit the land but he is yet to receive its report submitted by experts who did the survey.

“Right now, I do not know the outcome of the survey so I cannot authoritatively says anything about the estate’s boundaries so that we can know which sections of the land do not belong to the owner,” he said.

Mr Mwadeghu, speaking to Taitas living in Mombasa at St Luke’s ACK Church hall on Sunday, accused the Taita Taveta County government of laxity in resolving the long-standing dispute between the sisal estate and Mwatate residents.

“We have a problem because after the experts completed their work it was discovered that there is a parcel of land that does not have a title deed,” he said.

The MP told the gathering he will liaise with his Mwatate counterpart so that they can ascertain the real owner of that parcel of land.

In May, the county government and Teita Sisal Estate signed a memorandum of understanding for the latter to surrender 2,000 acres to settle Singila Majengo squatters.