Kenya power regrets electrocution of giraffes

Kenya Power employees at the Soysambu Conservancy.

Kenya Power has expressed regrets following the electrocution of the three giraffes at Soysambu Conservancy in Nakuru.

While announcing the commencement of works to alter the infrastructure at the conservancy, the Company’s CEO and Managing Director Bernard Ngugi said they take any electricity-related accidents seriously and this had served as a lesson.

“We regret this incident because we recognize that wildlife forms an integral part of our natural and cultural psyche and, we appreciate the feedback shared by various stakeholders on this matter,” Ngugi said.

He added: “Ensuring that we adhere to the highest forms of safety in all our undertakings, is a prerequisite for us. We thus take any electricity-related accidents seriously and we will use the lessons gleaned to avoid a recurrence of the same.”

Kenya Power noted that the exercise will be extended to other wildlife parks across the country so as to forestall a recurrence of such an incident in the future.

“The company will work in partnership with KWS and other stakeholders to extend the audit exercise to other wildlife parks across the country to ensure its infrastructure does not pose further danger,” it stated.

Press Release: Kenya Power to alter infrastructure within Soysambu Conservancy pic.twitter.com/B1iESyzEDb — The Kenya Power & Lighting Company Plc. (@KenyaPower) February 22, 2021

The incident that left three Rothschild giraffes dead after being electrocuted by a powerline at the conservancy raised an uproar among conservationists and the public.

Two giraffes were reportedly electrocuted on Friday and one on Saturday as they were moving along a low-hanging local power transmission line within the vast conservancy.

Some conservationists who spoke to The Standard noted that since 2019, close to 11 endangered Rothschild had been killed in the same manner.

 “Now a total 11 giraffes have been killed on these lines. There had been an attempt some time back to have the line moved or lifted but there was no support of the idea," said conservationist Kerry Outram.

Soysambu Conservancy is situated in Kenya’s central Rift Valley approximately 130kms northwest of Nairobi and approximately 25 kms southeast of Nakuru.

 The Conservancy currently hosts a population of approximately 124 giraffes. As of August 2018, there were 50 males, 41 females, and 33 young giraffes.