Siaya County is not alone in battling the monkey menace. Murang’a County government has declared an all-out war against mischievous animals with a programme dubbed ‘Tafuta Tumbili’ to capture marauding monkeys.
In Nyeri county, monkeys are wreaking havoc on crops, forcing farmers to come up with innovative solutions, including contraptions designed to trap scores of vervet monkeys.
In Kitui County’s arid and semi-arid lands, farmers have long struggled with food and nutrition security, partly due to crop damage by wild animals including monkeys.
The worst-affected areas for human-wildlife conflict include Tsavo, the Mara, Kajiado, and Laikipia counties, while Kwale County communities have voiced concerns over increasing human-animal conflict near national parks and game reserves.
The Kenya Institute of Primate Research (KIPRE), through the Kenya Institute of Primate Research Bill 2024, is being formally anchored in law as a Semi-Autonomous Government Agency.
The Parliamentary Committee for Health, in collaboration with KIPRE, has been working on developing this legislation. KIPRE has been a trailblazer in biomedical research since 1958, operating under the Ministry of Health’s State Department for Public Health and Professional Standards.
While KIPRE focuses primarily on biomedical research and vaccine development, it also works on conservation strategies for endangered nonhuman primates, including De Brazza monkeys, Tana River colobus monkey, and crested mangabey.
Richard Obanda, a conservationist and former KWS officer, provides a broader context: “People need to sit together and work together. We cannot claim that we have a monopoly over solutions and ideas. The community can give their input—it may be a simple solution, it may be a big solution.”
He warns about feeding wildlife: “The moment we start feeding monkeys, that is the first mistake. In conservation, rule number one, wildlife should remain wild. Do not encourage or feed them.”
Obanda emphasises the complexity of human-wildlife coexistence: “The government is not wrong in saying we should coexist with wildlife, but you must strike a balance between coexistence. It has to be a win-win situation.”
As the meeting concludes, the challenges remain complex. The community walks away not satisfied as they had expected the KWS to take their monkeys with them.
Yet the solution requires more than just removing monkeys. As Chief Yore noted, the community needs sustainable approaches that allow both humans and wildlife to thrive.
The KWS officers promise follow-up visits and traps for dominant males, but long-term success will depend on community cooperation and innovative approaches to human-wildlife coexistence.
As we prepare to leave Lifunga, the clouds are already preparing to rain, the farmers pack their plastic chairs with cautious hope.
For the first time in months, their voices have been heard by those with the authority to act. Whether that will translate into fewer destroyed crops and more food on their tables remains to be seen.
The monkeys, oblivious to human bureaucracy and conservation policies, will likely return tomorrow. But today, at least, a community has made its case for survival in a world where the line between human needs and wildlife conservation grows ever thinner.
