The Great North Rift Elephant campaign walk took 31 days. The walk started on November 16th, 2021, and concluded on December 17th, 2021 in Mt Elgon National Park. The walk was led by Jim Nyamu O.G.W, The Executive Director, Elephant Neighbors Center.
Mr. Jim Nyamu was flagged off at the St. George’s Girls Secondary school by Tourism and Wildlife Principal secretary Prof. Fred Segor. “I applaud the work done by the civil society and individuals such as Jim who remind us of a responsibility in wildlife and environment conservation,” says the P.S.
The walk started in St. George’s Girls secondary school Nairobi towards Ewaso Kedong, Narok, Bomet, Kericho, Chemelil, Nandi hills, Kapsabet, Eldoret, Kitale, and finally to the Mt. Elgon National Park.
Jim Nyamu, a scientist, has walked 17,776kms since the campaign started in 2013. He has walked extensively in Kenya and across Africa to Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, and Botswana. He has also walked in the United Kingdom and the United States advocating for elephant conservation.
“It’s worrying that elephants are wiped out day after day and our parks have become battlegrounds for illegal poachers and security agencies. “Kenya in 1979 had 167,000 elephants but the number has dropped to 35,000 following high demand for ivory in some Asian countries. Some countries lost their elephants completely, countries like Eritrea, Somalia, and Senegal and it is a truly sad state of those nations.”
While holding community meetings in Narok, Jim had a hard time talking to those who felt like they have been left to suffer wildlife loss due to delays in compensations. He challenged them to visit other areas such as Shombole and learn more about community conservation, practices, and governance in wildlife conservation. “In his opinion, he states there’s a lack of sincere leadership in wildlife conservation. It is time to agree that we have to come together and chat about the new conservation path toward a new conservation model.
This was his14th walk edition, he did not tire nor surrender. He stated that the world is facing the biggest problem than before, climate change is a reality! The world needs to know that we need to preserve natural resources and environmental issues are areas of major focus.
The Great North Rift Elephant campaign that crossed 11 counties, challenged the county governments to implement environmental and conservation policies at their discretion. The environment is now devolved to County governments and there is a need to have a multi-sectoral implementation and enforcement approach, the campaign identified gaps in the enforcement between National and county governments.
The campaign observed the following with great concerns:
1. Washing of vehicles in all major rivers along the routes and major towns
2. Bushmeat consumption and practice in Maasai Mara and her environs.
3. Encroachment of Sitatunga habitats I.e. King’wal swamp in Nandi county.
4. Inadequate resource distribution in KWS station’s and outposts
In the 31 days, he visited 36 schools where he planted and donated a total of 18,456 ingenious trees with huge support from regional Kenya Forest offices. Urging the students he often used the phrase “Sisi ndio to” make them understand that they are the generation to save and secure the environment ” There is simply no issue more important. Conservation is the preservation of human life on earth, and that, above all else, is worth fighting for,” says Nyamu.
We must let the global community know that African elephants are in danger from man. Extinction is forever and we cannot imagine Africa without elephants.
The Elephant Neighbors Center is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to protect the African elephants and secure landscapes for elephants outside protected areas. Kindly visit www.elephantcenter.org for more information on elephant conservation and my campaign dubbed “Ivory belongs to elephants”
