Kenyans Block Rumuruti Highway Protesting Elephant Attacks Frankline Oduor, Kenyans.co.ke January 13, 2025 See link <https://www.kenyans.co.ke/news/108000-kenyans-block-rumuruti-highway-protesting-elephant-attacks> for photos. Transport along the Nyahururu-Kinamba and Rumuruti roads in Central Kenya was disrupted for much of Monday morning due to protests by residents. This was after hundreds of residents from the area blocked the roads while expressing anger after an elephant from the game trumped on a local. The man is reported to have lost his life soon after the attack angering the hundreds of residents who came out to express their anger over the increasing human-wildlife conflicts in the area. Drivers plying the route found it difficult to move past the roadblocks as the residents vowed not to let any transport activity proceed in the area. Commercial vehicles, public service vehicles (PSVs), and private cars were stuck in an unusual traffic jam, hoping for a swift police intervention to resolve the situation. The roadblock was strategically set up at Rwathia, beyond Maili Saba, with drivers advised to use alternative routes. The residents blocked the road with rocks and logs with reports indicating that some rowdy youth were looting from stranded passengers. Police who attempted to respond to the situation were forced to retreat to Nyahururu as the protesters demanded the immediate fencing of Marmanet Forest before allowing traffic to resume. Efforts by local leaders, including Igwamiti Member of County Assembly Irene Wachuka, to calm the situation proved futile as the residents rejected her plea. She narrowly escaped being attacked at the scene, fleeing on a motorbike. The residents were protesting demanding that the government through the Kenya Wildlife Services(KWS) take responsibility to ensure that they control the increasing instances of human-wildlife conflicts. Additionally, the residents wanted compensation for the man and other victims of the conflicts that have surged. Reports suggest that the elephant might have come from the nearby Marmanet Forest and entered the home of the man before trumping on him. KWS was yet to issue a responsive statement on the latest incident of surging human-wildlife conflicts at the time of publishing this story. Cases of human-wildlife conflicts have been a thorny issue in Kenya with President William Ruto promising that the government will, moving forward, compensate people injured or killed during human-animal conflicts. Speaking in Laikipia during the launch of the human-wildlife conflict mitigation and compensation scheme on April 12, last year, Ruto revealed the government will disburse money to compensate 7,000 verified cases of human-life conflict. https://www.kenyans.co.ke/news/108000-kenyans-block-rumuruti-highway-protesting-elephant-attacks