The government has rolled out a technology-driven compensation scheme designed to enhance speed, transparency and fairness in compensation to communities affected by wildlife incursions. 

Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano said the initiative, now active in six high-incidence counties, replaces a cumbersome manual system that for years left thousands waiting for relief after devastating losses. 

The digital platform, piloted in Meru, Laikipia, Narok, Baringo, Kajiado and Taita Taveta, enables victims to file claims via mobile phone, triggering rapid on-site verification by trained officers using real-time data tools. 

Claims under Sh100,000 are now paid directly to beneficiaries through mobile money, with the government already disbursing Sh10 million and promising to clear 804 pending claims in the coming weeks. 

Yesterday, Miano said that at the core of the reform is a commitment to equity and local empowerment.  

County-level compensation committees, reconstituted and trained, now oversee the verification and approval of claims, ensuring that those closest to the ground, who best understand the realities of HWC, lead the process.  

The government has since raised compensation rates, with payouts for human deaths from wildlife attacks now set at Sh5 million, a significant increase from previous years. 

“From the Sh5 million for human death in 2013, we have disbursed over Sh4.8 billion since 2018, including Sh2.8 billion under the current administration,” Miano said. 

She emphasised the system’s potential to restore dignity to victims and rebuild trust in conservation efforts.  

“The digital system will minimise cases that are not genuine. It will make it efficient in a speedy manner, and it will be more accurate,” she said. 

However, the promise of digital transformation is tempered by persistent funding constraints.  

To address this, Principal Secretary State Department for Wildlife Sylvia Museiya said the government is working to strengthen the Conservation Trust Fund, seeking new private sector partnerships and innovative financial products.