Kenyan emergency teams, comprising defense forces and volunteers, have intensified efforts to contain fires sweeping across some of the country’s largest wildlife sanctuaries and protected areas.
An update from the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), released late Friday in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, said that the raging infernos in multiple wildlife parks and other biodiversity hotspots are linked to a severe dry spell.
Active firefighting efforts are ongoing at Nairobi National Park, where two fires erupted on Thursday, KWS said, adding that water bowsers are on-site to help extinguish the flames. In Aberdare National Park, located in central Kenya, wildfires were reported earlier this week, prompting KWS to deploy helicopters and ground teams to respond to the disaster, which has been linked to extremely dry weather in the country.
The Mount Kenya ecosystem in central Kenya, home to iconic species such as elephants, rhinos and buffaloes, has also been engulfed in widespread fires, aggravated by strong winds and dry vegetation. “While the exact causes of the fires remain under investigation, human activities, including discarded cigarettes, arson, honey harvesting, and extreme dry conditions, are suspected contributors,” KWS said.
Devastating fires have also been reported at Ruma National Park in Homa Bay County, the South Island National Park in Marsabit County, northern Kenya, and Mount Elgon National Park in western Kenya, near the Ugandan border, KWS said. “Rangers remain on high alert, coordinating further firefighting efforts to prevent flare-ups,” KWS said.
The state agency in charge of managing wildlife resources said it has enhanced aerial and ground patrols in biodiversity hotspots prone to fire outbreaks.
Additionally, KWS said that it has strengthened collaboration with local communities, devolved governments, and civil society partners to improve responses to fire outbreaks in wildlife sanctuaries.
According to KWS, robust inter-agency coordination has helped suppress fires in ecologically fragile wildlife reserves, while the agency intensifies vigilance and community engagement to mitigate the risk of wildfires as the dry season in the country reaches its peak.
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