Northern Kenya

World Environmental Day: Garissa officials call for collective action against poaching

Garissa County Senior KWS Warden, Jacob Ilo Orahle, speaking at Madogashe municipality during the World Environment Day. (Photo: Issa Hussein)

By Issa Hussein | Wednesday, June 5, 2024

The county KWS boss was responding to an incident where police in Dagahaley refugee camp pursued four men who killed a giraffe for game meat last evening.

Conservancy groups in Garissa were on Wednesday urged to be highly vigilant following increased cases of game meat poaching around the refugee camps in Garissa County.

The Garissa County Senior Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) Warden, Jacob Ilo Orahle, highlighted the threat posed by traditional hunters in the refugee camps to the endangered reticulated giraffe, with the meat being sold to unsuspecting residents living in the camps.

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Speaking at Madogashe Municipality during World Environmental Day, the Senior Warden called on the local host community to engage in voluntary vigilance and report poaching cases.

"The refugees will go back to their homes after depleting our natural resources. Let’s collectively join hands to fight against this threat," he said.

He appealed to the UNHCR to join efforts to curb poaching activities around the main Dadaab Refugee Camps.

The county KWS boss was responding to an incident where police in Dagahaley refugee camp pursued four men who killed a giraffe for game meat last evening.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigation reported that police officers swiftly responded to the poaching incident after a tip-off from residents of Kumahumato village.

"Police officers rushed to the scene, intercepting a Toyota Succeed overloaded with meat," said the DCI.

The hunters fled into nearby thickets, escaping arrest after sighting the police officers.

The DCI stated that the vehicle was towed to the Dagahaley police station and KWS officers were informed of the incident. They further revealed that NTSA records on the vehicle owner were obtained, and necessary action will be taken.

Abdi Ibrahim, the chairman of the Garissa County Ecotourism Conservation Association, praised the police for their quick response to the poaching incident.

He said local community scouts were ready to work with the police and KWS to protect the wildlife. "The cases of traditional hunters in the camps poaching the endangered giraffe are rampant, and we will not hesitate to sensitise the community on the importance of protecting natural resources," he claimed.

Speaking to Eastleigh Voice in Madogashe town, where he led the local conservancies in marking Environmental Day, he called upon the county and national government to empower the conservancy scouts who are voluntarily guarding the endangered wildlife species within the 16 registered wildlife conservancies in Garissa County.