ELEPHANTS: PROTEST LETTER AGAINST THE POISONING OF 15 ELEPHANTS IN THE AMBOSELI ECOSYSTEM AND DEMAND FOR DECISIVE GOVERNMENT ACTION.

 Chair.

Mr. Vivek Menon.

IUCN Species Survival Commission

Rue Mauverney 28,

1196 Gland,

Switzerland. 

 

Atten:

President Dr.William S Ruto

National Assembly.

The Kenya Wildlife Society.

Dr. Paula Kahumbu. ( Lead Elephants Specialist)

-Kenya Species Specialist Group (KeSSG):

-Eastern Africa Plant Red List Authority.

-Wildlife Research and Training Institute (WRTI)

 

Cc:

The Cabinet Secretary

-Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife

-Ministry of Agriculture and livestock Development.

-East Africa Community

 

Date: 31 July 2026

RE: STRONG PROTEST AGAINST THE POISONING OF 15 ELEPHANTS IN THE AMBOSELI ECOSYSTEM AND DEMAND FOR DECISIVE GOVERNMENT ACTION.

Dear Sir/Madam,

In line with your previous reply petition dated 1^st March, 2021. Titled - Position Statement Regarding Electrocuted Giraffe in Soysambu Conservancy

We write to register our strongest protest and profound outrage over the recent poisoning of 15 elephants in the Amboseli Tsavo ecosystem in Kenya by purported famers . This barbaric act is an unforgivable assault on Kenya's wildlife heritage, biodiversity, tourism economy, and the nation's international conservation reputation.

The deliberate poisoning of elephants is not merely a criminal act against wildlife; it is an environmental crime that threatens one of Africa's most celebrated ecosystems. The Amboseli ecosystem is globally recognized for its ecological significance and forms an essential migratory landscape for elephants and many other wildlife species. Continued degradation of this ecosystem jeopardizes Kenya's obligations under numerous international conservation agreements.

We therefore call upon the International Union Convention on Nature (IUCN) to demand the Government of Kenya to immediately undertake the following actions:

Conduct an independent, transparent, and comprehensive investigation to identify all individuals and groups responsible for the elephants poisoning and prosecute them fully.

Immediately relocate all illegal farming activities and settlements established within gazetted wildlife conservation areas, migratory corridors, and critical wildlife habitats, while respecting due process and the rights of affected communities under Kenyan law to halt the  intensified human-wildlife conflict.

Strengthen security throughout the Amboseli ecosystem through enhanced ranger patrols, aerial surveillance, intelligence gathering, and stronger collaboration with established local communities (Wildlife Warriors) and Forest Users Committees.

Institute strict regulation, monitoring, licensing, and control of highly toxic agricultural chemicals commonly used in Kenya. The availability of extremely poisonous substances has created opportunities for their misuse against wildlife.

We further urge IUCN to push the Government of Kenya to publish and review the continued importation, registration, and use of agricultural banned chemicals that have been prohibited or severely restricted in other jurisdictions, including the European Union because of environmental or public health concerns. Manufacturers, importers, distributors, and regulatory agencies should be held accountable where negligence, regulatory gaps, or weak enforcement contributes to the misuse of hazardous chemicals.

Kenya Government being a signatory to the international agreements specifically focused on biosafety such as the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, alongside separate global treaties like the Rotterdam Convention and the Stockholm Convention on how to handle hazardous and poisonous chemicals should be forced to adhere to its international treaties obligations.

Kenya Parliament should urgently table measures and review of all wildlife and Ecosystem Based Adaptation, the country bilateral ,regional, multilateral agreements and arrangement’s in regards to and in accordance with the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines on Biosafety,  Health Act (OSHA) 2007 regulation, Environmental Management and Coordination Act (EMCA) 1999.

The public expects Kenya Medical and Agricultural line Ministry to act responsibly and not to expose the animals and community to biorisks thus need for (biosafety) associated with practices that will help keep chemical compound and materials safe and secure (biosecurity), and to strengthen an ethical code of conduct (bioethics) on wildlife,  carcinogenetic and poisonous chemical should no longer be considered acceptable  be it spearheaded by this multinational entities such as  Bayer, Corteva, Syngenta or BASF.

Demand immediate East Africa closure and revocation of all established Agricultural pharmaceutical licenses hence establish afresh applications process, immediate countrywide confiscation of hazardous chemical compounds, send precautionary notices to all farmers and planters since the government has data of every farmer/company and institution parcel of land ownership.

National Government and County Governments must institutionalized Ministry Of Agriculture and Livestock Development,  Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation (MOPHS), National Public Health Laboratory Services (NPHLS),  National Cancer Institute( NCI ),  National Biosafety and Biosecurity Offices at all government Levels in accordance to Biosafety and bio security guidelines, establish  and operationalize  offices at County Level and District Level i.e  County Health Management Team (CHMT) shall form the County biosafety and biosecurity  committee.

We express grave concern over the increasing development of hotels, lodges, resorts, and other commercial infrastructure within or adjacent to critical wildlife migratory routes. Where investigations establish that such developments were approved or constructed in violation of environmental laws, protected-area regulations, or land-use planning requirements, the Government should take appropriate legal action, including removal or demolition where required by law, and restore affected wildlife corridors.

Strengthen compensation schemes and community conservation incentives to reduce retaliatory attacks against wildlife while promoting peaceful coexistence between communities and elephants.

Kenya has long been regarded as a global leader in wildlife conservation. However, continued habitat fragmentation, uncontrolled development, toxic chemical misuse, and escalating human-wildlife conflict threaten decades of conservation achievements.

We respectfully call upon the Kenya Wildlife Society and like-minded institutions to champion this matter vigorously at both national upto International level.

We further urge the IUCN to independently assess the situation within the Tsavo and Amboseli ecosystem and, where appropriate within its mandate, bring these serious conservation concerns to the attention of relevant United Nations bodies, including the Secretary-General, and encourage stronger international support for the protection of Kenya's globally significant wildlife heritage.

The poisoning of over 15 Elephants should be treated as a National Disaster and must never become an accepted response to human-wildlife conflict. Every institution responsible for environmental governance, wildlife protection, chemical regulation, land-use planning, and conservation must immediately discharge its mandate with urgency diligence and accountability.

We call upon the agencies responsible for regulating pesticides and other hazardous chemicals to strengthen oversight, improve enforcement, and ensure that dangerous products cannot easily be diverted in future for criminal purposes against wildlife.

Kenya's elephants are not merely a national treasure, they are part of the world's natural heritage. Their protection is therefore both a national responsibility and an international obligation.

The time for decisive action is now.

Yours faithfully,

Githinji Kamotho.

Exercutive Director.

East Africa Climate Change Network

Board Member.

Europe Dialogue.