The mysterious deaths of 15 elephants in the Amboseli ecosystem have sparked fresh concerns over food safety in Kenya, with conservation lobby WildlifeDirect warning that the same toxic chemicals blamed for the deaths could be making their way into food consumed by millions of Kenyans.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, August 4, WildlifeDirect said the elephant deaths, recorded between June 24 and July 24, point to a wider public health and environmental crisis that extends beyond wildlife conservation.
Preliminary investigations by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), supported by government laboratory tests, indicate that the elephants were exposed to cyanide contamination linked to pesticides used on tomato farms neighbouring the Amboseli ecosystem.
While the immediate concern is the loss of wildlife, WildlifeDirect says the findings raise troubling questions about the safety of crops produced using the same chemicals.
“If toxic chemicals are capable of entering crops consumed by elephants, we must ask whether farmers, farmworkers, neighbouring communities, livestock and consumers are being adequately protected,” the organisation said.
According to WildlifeDirect, the deaths should serve as a wake-up call for authorities to tighten regulation of pesticides and strengthen enforcement of existing laws governing their use.
“The deaths of elephants numbering up to 15 in the Amboseli ecosystem should be seen as a wake-up call, indicating the need for urgent change in the way pesticides are governed, regulated and enforced in Kenya,” the organisation said.
It cited a number of ailments, including hormonal imbalances, impaired learning, weak immunity, miscarriages and certain types of cancer, which have been linked to long-term exposure to toxic pesticides.
This comes amid intensive farming in and around Amboseli National Park, Kimana Sanctuary and Kuku Ranch in Kajiado County, home to approximately 2,000 elephants.
Kajiado is one of the leading counties in terms of tomato and onion production in Kenya, supplying its produce all over the country. According to WildlifeDirect, there is a risk that, if harmful chemicals have tainted the produce in the area, it may affect the entire country through the distribution chain.
Tests on tissue samples taken from the bodies of the dead elephants have found that, at least 10 of the creatures had suffered partial paralysis and died in less than one or two days after being exposed to the pesticide.
The affected elephants comprised mostly adult female elephants and young ones, seriously affecting the breeding capacity of of one of Kenya’s most important elephant herds.
The latest incident also adds to a growing list of wildlife poisoning cases in the Amboseli ecosystem. In addition, earlier this year, six lions and 32 vultures also died from poisoning in the same landscape.
WildlifeDirect is concerned that the recurring cases indicate loopholes in the regulations governing agricultural chemicals in the country.
These are concerns similar to those raised in an audit conducted recently by the Auditor General, who found that the Pest Control Products Board (PCPB) was not effectively regulating pesticide use in the country.
The audit shows that more than 28,617 kilograms of expired, counterfeit, and unregistered pesticides were confiscated during the 2024/25 financial year.
The problem has now even been taken to court through public petitions and lawsuits filed by Uasin Gishu Woman Representative Gladys Boss Shollei and African Center for Corrective and Preventive Action (ACCPA), which are suing over the ongoing sale of agrochemicals that contain components that have been banned in certain parts of Europe.
The class action status has already been accorded the case by the High Court.
