By Kenya Engineer
The farms bordering Mount Kenya have unfortunately all but severed the traditional animal migration routes into the lowlands, although elephant do still migrate by moving through the farms at night.
These elephant movements lead to potential human / wildlife conflict and in some cases, crop destruction. It is difficult to deter these movements, but it is possible to instead manage the movements in a manner which minimises the potential human / wildlife conflict.
One such elephant migration route passes through the Kisima and Marania ranches near Timau. The selected corridor is natural, it follows a naturally vegetated incised river valley within the cultivated areas, and the valley is sufficiently deep that passage can be achieved beneath existing roads by means of underpasses.
The corridor will be created by enclosing the selected valley within electrified fence lines running between the Mount Kenya National Reserve and the Ngare Ndare Forest Reserve. Where the fence meets farm tracks, gated crossings will be provided. Where the fence meets a public highway, an underpass in the form of a 5m high reinforced concrete box culvert will be constructed.
The most notable example of a successful electrified game fencing project in Kenya is the 380km electrified fence encircling the entire Aberdare National Park. The fence has been built in a co-operative fashion with local communities and has proved extremely successful and popular with the communities who can now co-exist alongside wildlife without the levels of crop devastation of the past.
The project will entail the following:
· Construction of electrified fence lines (timber & plastic posts, wires and insulators);
· Installation of solar powered high voltage generator;
· Construction of unmanned gated crossings for farm tracks;
· Construction of RC box culvert underpasses beneath two public highways;
· Construction of a pedestrian foot bridge;
· Establishing a suitably equipped fence maintenance and patrol team;
· Establishing long-term institutional support.
The 8km long corridor will vary in width from 800m to 1km. and is expected to cost $1 million and of this amount Virgin Group have pledged $250,000 and Safaricom Ltd $125,000. Half of the funds will be used to construct the underpasses and the remainder to construct the electric fence.
The project enjoys the written support of the local community and all the key stakeholders, including KWS and the Forest Department, Lewa Conservancy, Ngare Ndare Forest Trust as well as the two landowners through whose land this corridor passes.
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