A few months ago, six lions were killed in Kitengela area of Kajiado County. The killing is a big loss to the economy given that lions enjoy an iconic status as one of the ‘Big Five’ a big draw for tourists who visit Kenya.
The Kenya Wildlife Service law states that killing wildlife deliberately is illegal in Kenya; as a matter of fact chapter 5 of the Kenyan constitution clearly encourages citizens to participate in the management, and protection of the country’s natural resources which include the wildlife.
Sympathizers have since come out strongly to justify the lion killings claiming it was an act of self and property defense. This is absolute rubbish. If that were the case the killers would publicly come out of their hiding places and prove their case or better yet give us the “my conscious is clear speech”.
A spokesman with Kenya's wildlife authority Paul Mbugua told reporters that the “warriors” killed the lions to satisfy a cultural tradition that ranks killing a lion with a spear as one of the highest honors a man can achieve. This proves to be true because after the “warriors” killed the lions they cut off the end their tails to keep as trophies of their achievement.
With this kind of backward practices the country may very well lose important national assets that attract a lot of foreigners. Which brings the big question which one is more important, a nation’s asset that brings in billions annually? Or a baseless honor that simply seeks to make an individual a village hero? I choose the nations asset any day.
According to estimates by Kenya Wildlife Service about 100 lions are killed each year, and the country's lion population has dropped to about 2,000 Lions.It is therefore important for Kenyans with any crucial leads to the whereabouts of the lion killers to corporate with the police in order to bring the killers to book.
Kenyans, should shun impunity, uphold the constitution, and make sure we are all held accountable for our actions regardless of whom a person is or where they come from.
Human-wildlife conflict exists as a result of human population overlapping with the established wildlife territory, therefore just as it is the humans duty to ensure that humans and their property are protected from destruction by wildlife, so it is the duty of the humans to protect wildlife and ensure that those who harm wildlife get their fair share of the law.
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