Questions Over MPs' Wildlife Trip



The East African (Nairobi)

September 27, 2004
Posted to the web September 29, 2004

John Mbaria, Special Correspondent
Nairobi

A GROUP of Kenyan Members of Parliament who took a 10-day trip to three Southern African countries are back in the country amid claims that the trip, organised by the East African Wildlife Society (EAWLS) and co-funded by USAid and Safari Club International (SCI) of the US, was meant to influence their vote during a forthcoming conservation Bill.

Conservationists opposed to the trip claim it was an attempt by game ranchers operating under the auspices of the Kenya Wildlife Working Group (KWWG) to seek the legislators' support for the Bill which seeks to legalise sport hunting in the country.

Titled the Proposed Amendments to the Wildlife (Conservation and Management) Act, the Bill was brought before parliament by the MP for Laikipia West, G. G. Kariuki, and debate on it is set for later this year.

KWWG is an arm of EAWLS, which brings together game ranchers and landholders in Lamu, Nakuru, Machakos and Laikipia districts. The body promotes, among other things, consumptive utilisation of wildlife as is evident in a policy proposal it had developed and presented to the Kenya Wildlife Service over a year ago. Some of the provisions in the proposal were incorporated in the Bill now before parliament.

Some conservationists claim the MPs' fully paid-up trip was an attempt to influence the Bill's outcome. They are particularly critical of the invitation of the Speaker of the National Assembly, Francis ole Kaparo, saying it was an attempt to "interfere with his neutrality" during the debate on the Bill.

For unknown reasons, however, Mr Kaparo and an Assistant Tourism and Wildlife Minister, George Khaniri, did not take the trip.

George Wamukoya, Head of Development and External Affairs at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said, "As a Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr Kaparo is supposed to be neutral on a matter that is before parliament."

Mr Wamukoya also disassociated WWF from the trip. "Our problem with the trip is that it is organised by KWWG, whose philosophy is neither representative of the people of Kenya nor sensitive to the aspirations of most people hosting wildlife on their lands," he said.

Initially invited to participate in the trip, too, was a team of 10 MPs, top officials in the Tourism and Wildlife Ministry and a group of journalists. Those who took the trip toured Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia from September 12 to 21.

But one of those invited, Frank Omondi, of the Youth for Conservation (YfC) group was turned away at the last minute. Last week, Mr Omondi said, "I was ready to travel on the material day, but I was turned away over undisclosed reasons."

YfC is a youth group that campaigns against destruction of the country's wildlife through poaching and "unsustainable" cropping.

The tour was meant to expose the Kenyan legislators to alternative wildlife management. According to a letter dated July 29 written to those invited by the executive officer of the KWWG, Rudolf Makhanu, the trip was to "expose Kenyan policy makers, conservation practitioners and conservationists to evolving conservation approaches roundly acknowledged for improving wildlife conservation in Southern Africa."

Mr Makhanu told The EastAfrican that by participating in the tour, the team was to learn the virtues of "an evidence-led and incentive-driven wildlife policy and legislation" in the relevant Southern African countries. Besides Mr Kaparo, other MPs invited were Simeon Lesirma of Samburu West, Davis Nakitare (Saboti), Asman Kamama (Baringo East), Samuel Ngonzi Rai (Kinango) and Katoo Metito of Kajiado South.

Mr Makhanu further says in the letter that the trip was to be part of an "ongoing KWWG's programme that seeks to work with the government and other stakeholders to promote wildlife conservation by enhancing good governance of wildlife resources."

The group was hosted by government officials in Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia and were to visit sites of the CAMPFIRE project in Zimbabwe, which is hailed by pro-hunting lobbyists as a showcase of the benefits of hunting.

But, the International Fund for Animal Welfare's Regional Director James Isiche said the CAMPFIRE model fell short of meeting the expectations of the communities in Zimbabwe. "Importing conservation policies directly from other countries into Kenya is not the solution to the conservation issues in the country as the model generally used in Southern Africa has failed," he said.

Other conservationists have taken issue with the fact that the MPs had participated in a meeting organised and funded by an international grouping of hunters.

"IFAW is very concerned about such a tour. It should not be taken lightly by Kenyans in that those funding and organising the tour strongly advocate for sport hunting," said Mr Isiche, who termed Safari Club International a "global, elitist hunting Club."

He said the tour's "underlying objective may be to expose and influence Kenyan policy makers towards hunting at a crucial time when the wildlife policy is being reviewed."

Ms Winnie Kiiru, the regional head of Born Free Foundation, took issue with what she termed as "an emerging scenario" in which some private players in the wildlife sector are overly influencing the enactment of new wildlife legislation and policy.

"We are not fighting hunting per se, but we believe that the agenda of changing wildlife law and policy should be driven by the government and not by private people and their foreign financiers," she said.

SCI is an international grouping of hunters who protect their freedom to hunt. The organisation lobbies for policies and legislation that are likely to protect the freedom to hunt anywhere.


According to its website, www.safariclub.org , SCI also promotes wildlife conservation in order to "preserve wildlife for the next generation of hunters." SCI also promotes a "positive image of hunters" by portraying them "as responsible citizens who fund wildlife conservation, education and other programmes."

This image-cleaning endeavour is meant to counter an intensive campaign by an equally powerful anti-hunting lobby, itself composed of people who not only abhor "blood sports" but also embrace a philosophy that puts value to lives of animals.

My only question is WHY the HELL did they not invite me, it seemed to be a lovely trip that all male SCI members would give their left b..l for



Regards, Peter

They should have stuck to the good ole fashioned evelope of cash, nothing newsworthy in that