Elephants have wreaked havoc in Nguni ward, Mwingi Central, Kitui county where they fed on farmers’ crops.
Faith Kagendo said her 10-acre piece of land, where she had planted green grams, sorghum, millet among other drought-resistant crops, has been destroyed.
The mother of seven said she solely depends on farming to educate her children.
“Following the invasion, I am worried my children might not report back to school because I have nothing to sell to get them to school,” she said
The single mother said the elephants have camped in the area for years now and their numbers have since increased to about 20.
“The elephants have ravaged everything. I will not harvest anything this season,” she added
Kagendo also said the stray animals have posed a great danger to their lives, especially children.
“We live in fear of attack by these animals, our children are not safe anymore and especially now that schools are set to open,” she added.
Kagendo said accumulatively, she has incurred a loss of not less than Ksh400,000.
She has therefore called on the government to compensate her.
Kaa Mutukaa, another farmer, said that the elephants have camped in the area since 2018.
He said the majority of locals have vacated the area following the invasion.
“Three of my farms have been invaded and everything destroyed. I have three children in secondary school and I do not know how to send them back to school,” he said.
The distraught farmer also lamented that the elephants also drink water from man-made dams that farmers have sunk in the area to help in farming.
He said the area is staring at acute drought and called on the government for hastened compensation as well as distribution of relief food to affected locals.
The farmers have called for KWS to hasten driving away these elephants.
In a recent tour of the area, Tourism CS Peninah Malonza promised locals to push for relief food distribution in the area and also fast tract the compensation exercise.
