Elephant kills herder in Tigania as human-wildlife conflict surges

A 41-year-old man was killed by an elephant in Lowangila village in Tigania, Meru county, police and Kenya Wildlife Service officials have said.

Ebongon Nguruka, a herder in Ashapa went to herd his 77 goats on Saturday but failed to return home.

His relatives were concerned and staged a search the following day before they found the body on February 22.

Officials said the injuries on the body were consistent with an elephant attack.

The body had been partially eaten by wild animals and was dragged 70 metres away from the scene of the attack, witnesses said.

The goats that the man was taking care of went missing.

Officials said as they moved the body to the mortuary for other procedures.

The family of the deceased was advised to file a complaint.

Such incidents of human-wildlife conflict have been on the rise amid efforts to address them.

Most of the incidents happen in areas near the national parks.

In May last year, Kenya introduced the third phase of its Human–Wildlife Conflict Compensation Programme, an initiative aimed at addressing these incidents and supporting affected families.

During its launch at Meru National Park, President William Ruto unveiled the innovative Wildlife Conservation Card, a new tool designed to help fund conservation efforts.

“Compensation is justice, but prevention is progress,” Ruto said, emphasising the need for long-term solutions that benefit people and wildlife.

“Through the Conservation Card, fencing and community‑led tourism, we are turning conflict into opportunity.”

Developed in partnership with KCB Bank, the Wildlife Conservation Card is available in three tiers—Platinum (Elephant), Gold (Lion) and Silver (Cheetah).

A portion of every transaction made with the card (Sh10, Sh5 and Sh3, respectively) goes directly to the Wildlife Conservation Trust Fund.

The initiative seeks to enable Kenyans and international supporters to contribute to wildlife conservation while fostering economic benefits for local communities.

With this new approach, Kenya hopes to build a future where humans and wildlife can coexist safely and sustainably.

There has been a slight increase in cases of human-wildlife conflict in various parts of the country.

The most common ones involve elephants.