This archive report was first published on 8 May 2021.
On May 7, 2021, a Voi court delivered a ruling that acquitted Sagalla Member of County Assembly (MCA) Godwin Kilele of incitement charges brought against him by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS).
The charges stemmed from claims that Kilele had directed local residents to kill elephants that had become a menace in the area.
Resident Magistrate Fredrick Nyakundi delivered the ruling, stating that the court had found no incitement in Kilele's utterances, which were made in December 2019.
The magistrate noted that there had been no reported incidents of public disorders or criminal activities linked to Kilele's statements.
Furthermore, Nyakundi observed that Kilele's statements regarding the killing of elephants in self-defense were part of the Wildlife Management and Conservation Act 2013 and could not be taken to imply that he had encouraged the local residents to kill wildlife.
The court also noted that in the absence of an actual recording of the exact words uttered by Kilele, it was impossible to sustain the incitement charges.
Speaking outside the courtroom, an elated Kilele expressed his happiness with the ruling, stating that his duties as an MCA involved speaking out against injustices meted out to his electorate.
He cited the perennial human-wildlife conflict without recompense as a major injustice and vowed to embark on an expansive civic education campaign to educate people in his ward about their rights and responsibilities as far as wildlife was concerned.
“Our stand is as it has always been. Let KWS take responsibility and ensure elephants do not stray into people’s farms,” Kilele said.
