KENYA GIRAFFE ELECTROCUTION URGENT CONCERNS TO IUCN COMMITTEE

ADDRESSED TO INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE - IUCN COMMITTEE.

                                                                                                                                Dated 23/02/2022.

As the world participate in the ongoing 5th United Nation Environment Assembly UNEA5 Nairobi, Kenya:

We the Kenya people, world citizens, international and national cooperate entities environmentalists, ecologists, conservationists, parks attendants, wildlife warriors and tourists.  Primarily concerned by the reports that in the past 2 Months over 11 Giraffes have been electrocuted by electricity within Nakuru County-Soysambu Conservancy Area. Shocking that Kenya Wildlife Service through a press statement dated 21st February 2021 casually seem to acknowledge 2 giraffes electrocution, how such electric power cables were rerouted inside a conservancy and other parks countrywide some along animal migratory paths could not be explained, the online photos of 3 dead giraffes indicates vilest disfigured carcasses, photos circulate online, nearby communities claim over 11 giraffes have befallen such fate.  

THAT KENYA number of giraffes totals 28,850. The detailed breakdown of the same, indicates 12,717 Masai Giraffes, 15,524 are reticulated giraffes and 609 Rothschild giraffes. 

 

HISTORICALLY IN 1900 there was a conference on conservation efforts in Africa, which  produced the convention for the preservation of wild animals, birds and fish in Africa.

THE SECOND INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE convened in 1933 London, a meeting which produced convention for the protection of Africa Flora and Fauna its main task on complex's classification of  animals. Thus the age of Africa National Parks began with the international agreement of 1933 London Conference

THAT BETWEEN 1940 TO 1970 , Seven protected areas were established -Nairobi National Park, Ambosseli, Tsavo National Park and Masai Mara National Reserve, Serengeti, Tarangire, and lake Manyara National Park in Tanzania.

KENYA is signatory state to CITES-Convention on International  Trade in endangered Species  of Wild Fauna and Flora- and designated Kenya Wildlife Service, the CITES Management Authority and CITES Scientific Authority as its representative.

WE ARE CONCERNED with triggers towards some extinction of Big Five animals in Kenya and East Africa region, especially now desert locust are swarming in our region, this mandate we believe  falls within the IUCN Red List and Green Status of Species which was adopted in 1993 through Convention on Biological Diversity.

THE RESOLUTION WCC-2012-RES-41,by Kenya Government to International Union for Conservation of Nature IUCN Red Lists of threatened species, which indicated some species  and ecosystems being lost and the protected areas being degraded, similar to Soysambu Conservancy.

NOTING that the extinction of species and the diminution of their populations both contribute to biodiversity loss, and that this loss leads to degradation of natural ecosystems and to a decline in the provision of ecosystem services.

 ACKNOWLEDGING the invaluable role played by the IUCN Red Lists in assessing the extinction risk of species and risk of collapse of ecosystems, and of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) in promoting the good management of protected area systems globally.

We therefore DEMAND:-

1. We demand immediate sacking by the appointing authority the Kenya Wildlife Service- Director General-Brig.(Rtd) John Waweru, the KWS Board of Directors, Board of Trustees, members Kenya Office CITES Management Authority and Kenya Office CITES Scientific Authority.
2. Urgently request a detailed report from the the secretariat of Convention on biological diversity the measure government of Kenya is undertaking towards protection of wild animals focusing especially grassland and herbivorous in Kenya, inline to the ongoing locust invasion to their habitat and countermeasures of  government initiative on chemical aerial spraying .
3. We demand within 21 Days the Director of Public Prosecution to launch a criminal proceeding against all the parties involved through Wildlife related offences.
4. We demand for status of shared natural resources and benefits accrued from tourism towards local indigenous communities especially communities residing within protected areas, that is Maasai, Samburus, Redille, Borana, Mijikenda,Turkana and Teso community.
5. We demand updated assessments, audit and status of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) surveys of all Parks, Games Reserves, Conservancies, National Museum,  Animal corridors and Marine in Kenya and East Africa region supported by the CITES secretariat through the relevant committees in collaboration with Kenya Rangeland Ecological Monitoring Unit (KREMU)
6. We demand President Uhuru Kenyatta to reinstate NEMA (EIA Levy), Parliament establish a minimum Environmental Assessment Charge and its increment from (0.1 % to 5%) of standardized total project cost.
7. We demand the National Assembly to review and Fastrack the environmental impact assessment and Audit amendment regulation 2016, gazette dated 19 August 2016 via special supplement no 137I.
8. We demand the fastracking of two interrelated Bills 1. The Wildlife Conservation and Management (Amendment) Bill ( Senate Bills No.4 of 2019) a bill stuck before Senate Committees on land ,environment and natural resources awaiting second reading.
9. We call for a uniformed coherent Public Participation Bills- (Senate Bill No.4 of 2018) Public Participation Bill-(National Assembly)  Bill No 69 of 2019  and the Public Participation Bill No.79 of 2019.
10. That this bills seek to provide framework for Public Participation, defining parameters of accessing public participation effectiveness, the obligations of state organs and public offices, creating effective community participation in decision making processes.

 

Dated this 23 Day of February, 2021.

By East Africa Climate Change Network and Baraza La Taifa.

Copied to:-

World Commission on Protected Areas Contacts

UNECOSOC Secretariat ecosocinfo@un.org

Kenya Widlife Service email.kws@kws.go.ke

Inspector General of Police 

The National Treasury

Ministry of Tourism and wildlife-state department of wildlife

Ministry of Interior and Cordination of National Government.

European Union Biodervesity Conservation program.

IUCN Species survival commission

Frankfurt Zoological Society.

George Adamson

Jane Goodall  @JaneGoodallInst

Sierraclub  @SierraClub

Royal Geographic society 

African Parks @AfricanParks

London Missionary society 

New York herard

Glasgow herard

Global wildlife conservation

Joseph Conrad

Fauna preservation society

East african wildlife society

IUCN- UNESCO @IUCN