This archive report was first published on 17 July 2021.
July 17, 2021 - Nairobi, Kenya
A consortium of Kenya conservationists, Civil Societies, and Human Rights advocates have demanded a swift investigation into the murder of prominent environmentalist Joanna Stutchbury, warning that more deaths would follow if activists continued to be attacked with impunity.
Joanna Stutchbury, a vocal Kenyan environmentalist, was killed on Thursday at her home in Thindigua, Kiambu County. She was shot dead four times by gunmen along the driveway of her home, according to police and witnesses.
President Uhuru Kenyatta has since called on security agencies to hunt down her killers and bring them to book. In his message of condolence to the family, relatives, and friends, the President said his administration greatly appreciates the contribution of Stutchbury in conserving the environment.
The activists, led by Center for Justice Governance Environmental Action and Amnesty Kenya, said they were alarmed at the rate at which human rights activists, environmentalists, and conservationists are threatened, harassed, and killed in Kenya and worldwide yet the perpetrators continue to walk around the country free.
They called on the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, as well as the Kenya Forestry Service, to come up with a plan of protecting and, where appropriate, gazetting all forest lands in Kenya to shield them from land grabbers who see the forests as opportunities to enrich themselves at the expense of our environment and all Kenyans.
