By Betty Luke
Hundreds of Isiolo residents have declared their support for local community-led conservancies over their transformative impact in the region.
From water projects to bursaries, enhanced emergency response, employment opportunities and improved security in the region, the residents said anyone opposed to the conservation model was an enemy of development.
While addressing journalists after holding peaceful demonstrations in the busy Isiolo town, the residents who included conservancy members expressed their resolve to support the Northern Rangelands Trust in conservation, saying besides economic benefits, it had significantly reduced human-wildlife conflicts.
They further protested last week’s Environment and Land Court (ELC) ruling that declared NRT conservation activities in Cherab and Chari wards illegal, terming it misplaced.
The residents maintained that the court failed to consider the positive impact of the conservation activities to the communities and instead focused on the few allegations that the petitioners had made.
“The court should have investigated to understand how the conservancies have supported the communities before declaring them illegal. Hundreds of residents have been economically uplifted through initiatives initiated by the conservancies,” noted Leparua Conservancy member Ruth Akiru.
The residents noted that the declaration could force many children to drop out of school as they were fully dependent on conservancy bursaries for their education.
Hundreds of youths, majority of them dropouts have also benefited from a village learning model by Mashinani works, popularly known as Ujuzi Manyattani.
“Many times the county government bursaries are released late but the learners who depend on conservancy bursaries are not affected,”noted County Conservancies Association (CCA) Chairperson Aden Mohammed
The residents also accused the petitioners of advancing selfish agenda at the expense of public good.
Nasuulu Conservancy Chairperson John Aule maintained that the conservancy rangers who the petitioners had accused of fueling insecurity were out to protect wildlife from poachers, thereby reinforcing the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) work.
“In case there is a threat to wildlife, the rangers respond promptly as they live within the conservancies unlike the KWS officers who live miles away from the conservation areas,”noted Mr Aule.
The official said the initiatives were also empowering women to financial freedom by helping them to abandon charcoal burning and engage in other climate friendly livelihoods.
“Money from sale of carbon credits has supported women across the 12 conservancies to start and run businesses instead of the climate destructive charcoal burning,” he added.
The residents said they were in support of a looming appeal to withdraw the decision at the Appellate court and that they would support the process to ensure the conservancies are not shut down.
The court last Friday declared Biliqo Bulesa and Cherab conservancies illegal noting their establishment was in breach of the constitutional principle of public participation.
The 165 petitioners had cited illegal displacements, denial of the right to own property as well as limited movement of livestock among the shortcomings of NRT activities in the two wards.
