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Lamu have accused the government of turning a deaf ear to their plight of continued havoc visited upon them by marine wildlife.

Over the last five years, at least 1,200 people have fallen victim to marine animal attacks, with the most common culprits being sharks, stonefish, stingrays, starfish and whales.

Emotions ran high as survivors recounted their ordeals during a public participation event on Monday in Lamu East Constituency on the proposed Wildlife Conservation and Management (Amendment) Bill of 2023, sponsored by Lamu East MP Ruweida Obo, which seeks to include sharks, stonefish, whales and stingrays among wildlife species for which compensation can be provided in cases of death and injury.
In 2020 and 2021 alone, around 200 individuals were attacked by sharks, stone fish, whales and stingrays, according to Lamu East MP Captain Ruweida Obo (pictured).

Tragically, these attacks have had devastating consequences. Seven lives were lost due to shark attacks, while a staggering 158 individuals sustained serious injuries from stingray encounters.

In addition, 14 victims had to endure limb amputations following encounters with stonefish.
Others experienced partial or complete loss of function in various body parts, with limbs and the spine being particularly affected, as a result of these ruthless marine wildlife attacks.

Despite lodging complaints and subsequently seeking compensation, they are yet to receive any compensation.

Those who have been victims of stingray attacks lamented the economic sabotage they face, as recovery from such attacks can take up to three to six months.

They also described being separated from their families and denied conjugal rights during their recovery period.

The victims, majority of whom turned up for the public participation event organised by the National Assembly departmental Committee on Tourism and Wildlife, accused the national government of showing concern only for those attacked by forest wildlife such as elephants, leopards, crocodiles, cheetahs, hippos, buffaloes, lions, and buffaloes, while ignoring their plight.

Their efforts to seek help from the Kenya Wildlife Service office (KWS) in the Lamu County offices haven’t borne fruit as they remain ignored while much focus is paid to human-wildlife conflicts in other counties.
Aidar Omar Nassir, who lost a limb to a shark attack while fishing in Kizingiti Island, expressed his frustration, saying, “I have no reason to continue living in this country; I should just die because I have wished to be compensated by the state for over 10 years since I was attacked”.

He added: “This is despite meeting all the requirements, I am being kept in the waiting bay. My family is suffering, I am no longer the breadwinner, my wife is almost running away as my children have dropped out of school, the government should compensate me to save my family.”

Ali Salim, a resident of Kizingiti, revealed that despite his brother losing his life to a whale attack, the family is yet to receive any compensation or assistance, even after numerous and expensive trips to the KWS offices on Lamu Island. “For the last five years, we have not received any payment since we lost our brother, as he went about fishing the deep seas,” lamented Salim.