Kenya: Lobby Group Roots for Sports Hunting


The Nation (Nairobi)

13 June 2007
Posted to the web 13 June 2007

Patrick Nzioka
Nairobi And Joe Ageyo in the Hague

A wildlife lobby has threatened to introduce sport hunting in the country if the new wildlife Bill will not legalise it.

The chairman of Kenya Wildlife Working Group (KWWG), Mr Omara Kalasigha, said his organisation was training hunters, who will be deployed to some parts of the country to hunt game, which he said was a more beneficial way to use wildlife.


"We will introduce sport hunting in this country whether the Government wants it or not. We are already training hunters," Mr Kalasigha told journalists at a meeting to sensitise MPs on the new Bill on wildlife management, held at the 680 Hotel yesterday.

Most MPs, however, boycotted the meeting. Mandera Central MP Billow Kerrow and Samburu West's Simeon Lesirma were the only MPs who turned up.

Mr Kalasigha, whose organisation is pushing for reintroduction of sport hunting, was a member of the steering committee set up by the minister for Tourism, Mr Morris Dzoro, to help in drafting a new policy.

The committee held 22 public meetings at which Kenyans overwhelmingly rejected the reintroduction of sport hunting, banned in the 1970s.

Mr Kalasigha accuses two non-governmental organisations of bribing those attending the meetings to reject sport hunting.

He said he was unable to push his case for sport hunting within the committee because he was in the minority.

quote:

Mr Kalasigha accuses two non-governmental organisations of bribing those attending the meetings to reject sport hunting.

AWF & IFAW? Anyone know for sure?

S.

Hmm, training hunters huh? Hey, I'll go over and volunteer to be trained as a hunter if I can get some practical experience in hunting while there!