Wildlife compensation claims hit Sh3.5 billion as thousands of Kenyans wait years for payments

Human wildlife conflict compensation claims have piled up to Sh3.5 billion, leaving thousands of Kenyans waiting years for payments as the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife struggles with funding and bureaucratic delays.

The National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has criticised the Ministry for the delays, demanding swift action to clear the backlog and ensure timely payouts.

Appearing before the committee chaired by Butere MP Tindi Mwale, Wildlife Principal Secretary Silvia Museiya Kihoro revealed that between 2017 and 2021, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) disbursed only Sh3.08 billion, far below the total amount owed to victims.

She noted that despite an annual allocation exceeding Sh900 million, KWS received as little as Sh65 million in 2018 and Sh175 million in 2017.

“We have people who have been waiting since 2014, and it is now 2025. We began with 2014–2016 claims and are currently processing those from 2020/2021. Compensation for later years has not begun,” Museiya said.

Over 20,000 claims remain pending, covering deaths, injuries and property destruction caused by wildlife. The PS said the government prioritises older cases, though many beneficiaries die before receiving compensation.

“We are proposing a new law to make payments more realistic and affordable to the government,” she added.

PAC members raised concerns over the existence and effectiveness of County Wildlife Compensation Committees (CWCCs), which are tasked with verifying claims before forwarding them to the ministry.

Rarieda MP Otiende Amollo said, “In theory, these committees exist, but are they actually meeting?”

He also highlighted discrepancies between reported payments and actual incidents, citing missing records of crocodile and hippo attacks in Siaya and Busia counties.

“Your report shows only one crocodile-related death in Siaya for the year, yet I know of at least ten cases in my constituency,” he said.

Funyula MP Wilberforce Oundo criticised “selective compensation,” questioning why victims in Busia were excluded.

“Around September 2021, there was a hippo attack in Busembe and Busito, where people died. Yet these cases were never captured,” he said.

Teso South MP Mary Emase accused the ministry of violating the Public Finance Management Act, which requires pending bills to be treated as a first charge in the following financial year.

“If you already know the number of claims each year, why not allocate enough funds to clear them?” she posed.

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The PS attributed delays to funding gaps and a freeze on CWCC allowances by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) between 2021 and 2023, which halted committee meetings and contributed to the backlog.

Legislators also questioned the Sh800 million digital compensation system under development.

Mathioya MP Edwin Mugo said, “That amount sounds excessive. Such funds could instead go toward paying victims.”

In response, Museiya said the ministry is open to devolving payment authority back to KWS once the digital system becomes operational. “If we can make the process seamless, I’m happy to return the payment role to KWS,” she said.

She added that the ministry plans to review compensation rates to ensure prompt and sustainable payouts. “Kenyans have told us they prefer prompt payment over large but delayed amounts.”

Legislators, however, insisted that “delayed justice is no justice.”