Kibwezi West MP Mwengi Mutuse has put the leadership of the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) under pressure following a fatal elephant attack that claimed the life of a young girl and left her mother injured.
In a statement on Monday, June 15, the lawmaker said the incident involving a marauding elephant occurred in the morning.
“This morning, marauding elephants killed a young girl in Kiboko and injured her mother as she tried to save her child,” he said.
Mutuse faulted KWS Director General Erustus Kanga over what he described as a failure to address the recurring problem, accusing the agency of not doing enough to protect residents living near wildlife habitats.
“How many more people must die before Prof. Erustus Kanga, the Director General of the Kenya Wildlife Service, takes action? Or, as many residents suspect, is this deliberate?” he posed.
Mutuse vowed to continue pushing for the relocation of elephants back to Tsavo National Park and compensation for victims affected by wildlife-related incidents.
“I will not rest until all elephants are returned to Tsavo and all victims of deaths, injuries, crop destruction, and other losses are fully compensated. Enough is enough,” he further said.
This comes months after Kanga was put on the spot after repeatedly failing to appear before it.
In a session on Wednesday, April 15, the National Assembly of Kenya Committee on Cohesion and Equal Opportunities, chaired by Mandera West Adan Yussuf Haji, expressed frustration over Kanga’s absence from three consecutive sittings.
Kanga had been expected to appear at Bunge Tower to respond to concerns surrounding a human-wildlife conflict incident reported in Kisima Location in Samburu County.
Lawmakers said they were prepared to question him on the increasing cases of such conflicts, which have resulted in deaths, injuries, and damage to property.
According to the committee chair, the KWS boss had reached out informally to explain his absence but did not follow through with an official written response as required.
“The DG called me and explained why he would not attend, but I asked him to do so formally in writing, which he has not done,” he said.
Members of the committee did not hide their dissatisfaction, with Luanda MP Dick Maungu accusing the Director General of disregarding parliamentary authority.
“The Committee should recommend his arrest and have him brought before us, as he has ignored our invitations for the third time,” he stated.
Maungu further pointed out that parliamentary Standing Orders empower committees to take action against individuals who fail to honour official invitations.
“The Committee should impose a fine of Ksh500,000 on the DG for failing to attend sittings as required by law,” he added.
The committee chair confirmed that a formal summons will be issued to compel Kanga’s attendance, warning that failure to comply will attract financial penalties.
“I want to remind the DG that any fine must be paid from his own pocket, not from public funds,” he said.