The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has unveiled a team of Honorary wardens who will be assisting in conservation efforts, resource mobilization and tourism promotion in the coast region.
The honorary wardens drawn from Vanga to Kiunga who were gazette last month shall serve in their capacity for three years.
Speaking during an induction training KWS Acting director in charge of the coast conservation area Lilian Ajuoga said the honorary wardens under went a rigorous selecting process and were gazetted to help KWS in conservation works.
She said they were taken through the KWS Charter, their code of conduct which provides for their responsibility roles and powers.
Further she said the honorary wardens were taken through the conservation management act Cap 2013 which they need to familiarizes themselves with while in their duties.
“Some of the duties they are supposed to undertake include problem animal control, marketing activities to promote tourism in the Coast conservation area, they are also expected to assist in veterinary issues, to conduct conservation education, awareness creation and other duties,’ she said.
The assistant director said they would help them develop a performance planning matrix for one year that will be appraised after one year.
She said through that there would be a structured way of operation and shall work for a period of three years to help KWS achieve conservation goals.
Further Ajuoga said the honorary wardens were taken through the KWS strategy for 2019- 2024 which is a plan where they want to be during the period and entails three strategic pillars, objectives and strategies that will be implemented.
“These honorary wardens are expertise in different fields, some of them are veterinary doctors, Pilots some of them are interested in tourism, coastal forests conservation so we have brought all the honorary wardens on board so that we can be able to tap in their expertise in conservation of wildlife,’ she said.
She said some of them are good in resource mobilization which will help raise funds for conservation works.
Ajuoga said conservation of wildlife is an expensive affair and need to get resources through marketing their parks by and other activities that will make KWS sustainable.
She said the Coast conservation area has unique features such as the beautiful corals that need to be protected and will use some of the honorary warden to protect them.
Others are mangrove forests, mega fauna like dolphin and turtles which are threatened that require to be protected.
We plan to diversify tourism products, rebrand our parks and also plan to work with honorary wardens to improve the infrastructure such as the roads, bandas so as to improve the revenue which is very low due to the effects of covid 19 pandemic.
Ali Shebwana the Horonary warden Lamu county thanked the KWS for allowing him to serve in the capacity since 2008.
“After this renewal I really appreciate both KWS and Ministry of tourism and Wildlife for this appointment,” he said.
Shebwana promised to continue supporting KWS to make sure they execute the mandate given under wildlife management act 2013,” he said.
Andy Thomas who owns captain Andy company that supplies boats and other marine equipment in East Africa and Africa at large is among those appointed to serve as honorary wardens for the first time to serve in the Arabuko Sokoke forest area,
Thomas said he has been helping in conservation of the Arabuko Sokoke forest for the more than 10 years.
“Initially we supported on the water supply project for the elephants in Arabuko Sokoke forest after the electric fence was put in place in about 2008 and then the water supply dried up so we assisted KWS to put water in there with support from Richard Leaky and KWS team,” he said.
He said they have been supporting KWS in provision of transport, vehicle maintenance, boat maintenance, supply of fence poles, equipment that electrifies fences to minimize human wildlife conflicts.