Residents living around Lake Olbolosat in Nyandarua will be taken on an educational tour to Samburu to learn strategies for coexisting with wildlife.
Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) Senior Assistant Director for the Mountain Conservation area, Lucy Muita, noted that the Samburu community has embraced wildlife due to the economic benefits it brings to their region.
“People in Samburu actively protect wildlife, even rescuing and feeding baby elephants,” said Muita.
She made these remarks while commissioning two water harvesting tanks, donated by Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife, Rebecca Miano, at Iriani Primary School on the shores of Lake Olbolosat.
The water tanks are part of donations pledged by Miano during a tree-planting exercise at the school last month.
Muita observed that while other communities have found economic value in their local wildlife, residents in Nyandarua and Laikipia continue to face conflicts with animals instead of seeing them as economic assets.
She encouraged the residents of Muruai location to explore tourism opportunities presented by Lake Olbolosat and the Aberdare mountain ranges.
Miano, according to Muita, is also committed to assisting the primary school by helping it drill a borehole and constructing an administration block.
The area’s Senior Chief, Mary Muthoni, also called for the construction of a fence to prevent the lake’s large hippo population from straying into nearby farms.
She noted that residents could benefit economically by tapping into the lake’s ecosystem through tourism.
Environmental advocate Wachira Njari, a resident of Iriani village, welcomed the proposal for residents to learn from communities successfully coexisting with wildlife.
He emphasized the untapped economic potential of Lake Olbolosat, which is home to over 300 bird species and hippos.
Also in attendance was Nyandarua KWS Warden Paul Wambugu.
