This archive report was first published on 23 September 2019.
On September 19, 2019, a parliamentary committee presented a report to the National Assembly Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, recommending that Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala take full responsibility for the death of 11 black rhinos during a botched translocation last year.
The committee, chaired by Maara MP Kareke Mbiuki, has been investigating the controversial translocation and the death of the rare species since last year.
The report notes that the translocation was motivated by a €25 million funding request from Germany, which the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) was seeking to secure. The exercise was meant to provide positive publicity to facilitate the funding, which goes against national policies and priorities.
According to the report, the translocation was launched in June last year with great fanfare by Mr. Balala and the WWF. It involved moving rhinos from parks in Nairobi and Nakuru to a new sanctuary in Tsavo East National Park, which KWS and WWF had spent six years building.
However, the death of the animals, caused largely by the high levels of salt in the water they consumed at the new sanctuary, raised questions about Kenya's seriousness in conserving its wildlife.
The committee also puts Mr. Balala on the spot over his delay in appointing a new board of trustees at KWS, which would have offered policy direction and guidance to the KWS management.
The report states that in the absence of the board, the ministry had overall responsibility for KWS operations. Mr. Balala hurriedly appointed a new board after the deaths.
The committee notes that the term of the previous board members had ended on April 17, 2018, but three months later, there was no board, and this could not be reasonably justified.
