Members of the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Tourism and Wildlife have raised concerns over the use of Ksh300 million on consultancy services under a wildlife victim compensation programme.

The legislators wondered whether the expenditure offered value for money.

The committee, chaired by Kareke Mbiuki, criticised the spending during a meeting with officials from the State Department for Wildlife to review budget estimates for the 2026/27 financial year.

Lawmakers were told that the consultancy fee formed part of Ksh800 million allocated for compensation of victims affected by human-wildlife conflict.

According to the State Department, the funds were used to pilot the digitalisation of the Human Wildlife Conflict (HWC) victim compensation programme.

Officials explained that Ksh300 million was paid to a firm that developed the digital compensation system, while the remaining amount was used to compensate victims injured by wild animals and families of those killed in wildlife attacks.

However, MPs questioned the justification for the consultancy expenditure.

“What kind of services were worth Ksh300 million?” asked Mbiuki.

Voi MP Abdi Chome demanded detailed documentation on the digitalisation project, arguing that the expenditure appeared excessive compared to the amount disbursed to victims.

“Provide the Committee with details of the digital project to justify paying such a huge amount. How do you spend Ksh300 million to create a programme for paying out Ksh500 million? There is no value for money,” said Chome.

Ijara MP Abdi Ali described compensation for wildlife victims as a highly sensitive matter and questioned why funds intended to support affected families were channelled toward consultancy services.

Meanwhile, Lamu East MP Mohammed Ruweida said Parliament had repeatedly raised concerns over delayed and inadequate compensation for victims of wildlife attacks, urging the State Department to ensure transparency in the management of the funds.

“The issue of compensation for victims has always been raised on the floor of the House. The State Department should be transparent in disbursing funds to victims,” said Ruweida.

The committee was also informed that the State Department for Wildlife has been allocated Ksh16.5 billion in the 2026/27 financial year, up from Ksh15.1 billion in the previous budget cycle.

Out of the allocation, Ksh13.6 billion will go to Semi-Autonomous Government Agencies (SAGAs), while Ksh1.9 billion has been earmarked for compensation of human-wildlife conflict victims.

The department will also spend Ksh546 million on recurrent expenditure and Ksh382 million on development projects.

Officials further disclosed that pending bills within the department currently stand at Ksh1.1 billion.