Bush Meat in Kenya

We are losing the battle against the growing illegal commercial trade in bushmeat because of the following;

• Bushmeat is cheaper than beef; thus it is a cheaper source of protein to rural and urban poor.
• Rising poverty and landlessness among communities living adjacent to wildlife rich areas worsened by the prevailing drought and food shortage in the country.
• Rising incidences human wildlife conflict cases and lack compensation for such loses caused by wildlife
• Weak wildlife laws that do not give deterrent fines and sentences to convicted poachers and traders.
• Poor knowledge of wildlife laws leads to wildlife crimes being categorized as misdemeanour.
• Weak law enforcement that allows poaching cartels to thrive.
• Civil police prosecute wildlife crimes-whereas ideally it should be handled by wildlife authorities, preferably KWS prosecutors.
• Serial poachers are treated as first offenders in wildlife crimes and most of them are able to pay the small fines imposed and quickly return to make easy money from the illegal trade.
• Continued impasse on the wildlife policy review leading to disenchantment by communities and land owners hosting wildlife (outside the tourism circuit) making them turn a blind eye to poaching as a way of removing a pest that doesn’t benefit them.
• A blanket ban on consumptive use criminalized what had been part of the culture and source of food for some communities like the Kamba, Turkana, mijikenda Taita etc. They were left withour a viable alternative and hence this ban never worked for bushmeat.

As Kenyans, we need to address the issues raised above if we are to eradicate the illegal bushmeat trade in our country. The wildlife policy review offers us the best oportunity and let us not lose it.

Iregi Mwenja is a Bushmeat researcher and a USFWS MENTOR Post-graduate Fellow on Bushmeat in East Africa.
Dik dik meat being prepared for urban market outside the Tsavos

Technorati : Bushmeat, poaching, wildlife policy