President Ruto said that if an elephant kills a civilian, they will get Sh5 million in compensation within six months

President William Ruto has declared that the families of civilians murdered by wildlife, particularly elephants, will receive compensation for a period of six months.

Speaking on Friday in the Rumuruti area of Laikipia county, Ruto announced the government’s proposal to provide compensation to the families of those killed by elephants. The plan calls for more than 960 million shillings. Going forward, Ruto said, the family of everyone killed by an elephant will receive five million shillings.

The government has now given nearly 10,000 recipients Sh4 billion, according to the President, even though there were approximately 17,000 verified compensation applications totaling Sh7 billion for the years 2014–2023.

In order to get payment of Sh3 billion within the next sixty days, he directed the Ministry of Tourism to expedite the payments due to the remaining 7,000 verified debtors.

Six counties’ worth of wild animal-related deaths, injuries, crop damage, hunting losses, and property damage are all covered by the compensation claims.

“Last year it was established in Taita Taveta County, today we have moved to Laikipia County and my instructions are as follows,” he stated.

By the end of today’s compensation, we will have paid out Sh4 billion in compensation thus far. My directive is that we should pay the approximately 7,000 instances that have already been verified and the remaining ones within the next 60 days.

The President stated that prompt payment will increase public trust in wildlife conservation efforts and prevent community animosity whenever wildlife disappears from human areas.

“People are the center of every plan, and their involvement in conservation is essential to its sustainability. We have also made adjustments. Previously, Sh200,000 would be awarded to anyone killed by an elephant mauling. We hereby declare that the compensation for a citizen killed by an elephant is Sh5 million,” Ruto continued.

According to him, victims of wildlife attacks will receive compensation up to Sh4 million, depending on the extent of the animals’ damage.