WALKING FOR EAST AFRICAN ELEPHANTS

WHAT IMPACT WILL THE 3100 KM EAST AFRICAN WALK BEING UNDERTAKEN BY JIM JUSTUS NYAMU HAVE ON THE CONSERVATION OF ELEPHANTS.

With what is happening to our large land mammals in Africa is a sad story. Bad cultural practices in some Asian countries coupled insatiable greed for wealth for criminal cartels in countries that are home to vanishing herds of elephants are driving this and other endangered species close to extinction while many human beings remain silent spectators. This is very sad indeed and calls for much more awareness being created about their plight.

When Jim Justus Nyamu single handedly embarked on his campaign in 1983, dubbed IVORY BELONGS TO ELEPHANTS, he had little in terms of resources to continue with his work but he was armed only with a passion, determination and the confidence that his message will not only reverberate locally but beyond the borders of his country, Kenya.

With the support of a few young Kenyans and other well-wishers he continued his march attracting very little financial support from corporate entities locally or other local or international donors. However, he persistently continued to spread his message and with passage of time, many individuals of goodwill have come to his aid with whatever meager resources they were able to put at his disposal to facilitate his work.

The importance of his efforts has now attracted the attention of the Kenyan government, a few Corporates and some diplomats accredited to Kenya, notable being the Ambassador of the United States of America.

The East African walk now in progress which will cover a total distance of 3100 Kilometer will take him through the three East African states. During his long journey Jim will be talking to ordinary people, particularly those faced with human-wildlife conflict in their localities, collecting their views and educating them on the need to conserve our wildlife in order to ensure they remain a part of our landscape so as to continue attracting both local and overseas tourist to our game parks. The importance of community participation in the management of wildlife and revenue sharing is also an important theme of his message.

He will also engage the three countries through stakeholders in an attempt to establish an integrated wildlife anti-poaching and trafficking strategy.

The support extended by #KWS and the CS for Natural Resources #Judy Wakhungu is noteworthy and of great significance for this important campaign. Her presence in Arusha earlier this week was a clear demonstration of the Kenya Government's support and commitment to work being undertaken by Jim.

Since this is an ongoing campaign, its success will largely depend on the goodwill and financial support from our corporates, more so those engaged in tourism sector and other donor agencies who should consider supporting this important conservation efforts.