Members of Parliament have summoned the boss of the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) after he failed to appear before a committee three times.
KWS Director General Erustus Kanga is expected to explain the rising cases of human-wildlife conflict across the country.
The call was made by the chairperson of the National Assembly Committee on Cohesion and Equal Opportunities Adan Yussuf Haji.
The MP said that failure by Kanga to appear before the committee would attract a penalty of Ksh500,000 that he has to pay himself.
“He [Kanga] was supposed to write us explaining why he couldn’t attend our sessions but no reply has been received. He contacted me personally to give a verbal explanation, which we don’t require,” said Haji.
He further warned that if he fails to appear, they will pursue him legally and may end up arresting him because they can’t ignore this issue.
The committee said it needs answers on what KWS is doing to deal with the increasing cases where wild animals attack people and destroy property.
Lawmakers pointed to recent incidents in places like Samburu, where families have lost crops and livestock, and some people have been injured or killed.
They now want KWS to clearly explain the steps it is taking to protect communities living near wildlife areas.
This move by politicians indicates increasing pressure on public officers to show up and explain themselves to the citizens.
