Kenya: Tenboma Initiative to Save Elephants

Author(s)

By Gilbert Koech, The Star

Date Published
The Kenya Wildlife Service and the International Fund for Animal Welfare yesterday entered into a partnership designed to save elephants.
 
The two signed a statement of intent in an initiative dubbed tenBoma to protect elephants by stopping poaching.
 
Environment Cabinet Secretary Judi Wakhungu witnessed the signing.
 
The tenBoma initiative derives its name from an existing Kenyan community policing philosophy called ‘Nyumba Kumi’ in Kiswahili, meaning ten houses.
 
It expands the same philosophy used to fight terror to include Kenya’s national parks and surrounding areas to form a network to protect wildlife and communities from criminal poaching gangs.
 
“Kenya is determined to protect our elephants. We will do everything in our power to destroy the poaching networks and we are proud to be involved in this innovative pilot project,” Wakhungu said.
 
KWS acting director general William Kiprono lauded the initiative saying it will help in giving intelligence information in time.
 
Azzedine Downes, President and CEO of IFAW, said: “This partnership makes innovative use of the most powerful weapon we have in this fight – information.”