Climate change linked to increased snake bites in Kitui, Kenya

Mwanthi Maliwa was bitten by a cobra

BY KITAVI MUTUA

Mr Mwanthi Maliwa, a peasant farmer in Mwingi area of Kitui County may
have lost his right leg after a vicious attack by a cobra, but his
battle with the venomous snakes is far from over.

The partly disabled villager, who faces a difficult task of guarding
his family against more attacks, has devised simple but effective ways
of fending off the poisonous snakes, which have invaded their
villages.

Before going to bed, Mr Maliwa's family has to leave basins full of
water outside their house every evening to pacify the snakes, by
quenching their thirst arising from vagaries of dry weather.

Like many other residents in the arid region, he faces a sad
phenomenon related to climate change as the snakes conflict with
locals in pursuit of diminishing water resources in manner and
consequence never witnessed before.

Locals believe that the snakes are invading their houses in search of
water and cooler atmosphere because their usual habitat has been
destroyed by human activities.

"We keep water outside the houses so that incase the snakes come,
they can get their share and slither back to the bushes in the hope
that we minimize the conflict" he said.


Mr Maliwa explained that the tactic works for them as the snakes are
no longer venturing into their houses and biting them as they did
leading to amputation of his right leg.

This unique and practical climate change mitigating approach by
residents is borne out of believe that snakes can sniff water scent
wherever it's stored and are daring enough to get go for it.

"The trick works because quite often we find tracks of snake marks in
the morning, an indication the reptiles passed by their compounds at
night" he told the Saturday Nation in an interview.

A cobra injury

The peasant farmer from Nuu village, regrets that all the efforts of
fighting the snakes including, burning plastics and keeping cats to
scare them away, did not stop the serpents from attacking him.

His sad story is part of growing statistics of people who are lucky to
have survived snake attacks in recent years, with a worrying number
having succumbed to their venom.

The challenge is further aggravated by water scarcity in these areas
where the precious commodity is hardly enough to offer to the
reptiles.

Snakebite incidences, leading to limb amputations and even death in
Kitui County, have dramatically gone up in the last ten years from 20
reported cases in 2003 to more than 300 cases last year.

Experts say this could be as a result of the warming climate which has
enabled snakes to move away from previously cooler habitats, clearing
of forests and the worsening droughts that force the reptiles to go
into people's houses to look for water.

According to Dr Jacinta Kimiti, a senior lecturer at South Eastern
Kenya University, the snake menace in Mwingi is a direct consequence
of failure by locals to manage their environment.

Dr Kimiti, the Dean of School of environment and natural resources
management at the university says the residents are paying a heavy
price for failure by previous generations to properly manage the
environment.

"Human activities have cut trees indiscriminately, thus disrupting the
eco-system which we share with the wildlife, the increased cases of
snakebites should be a wakeup call to policy makers and the residents
alike to put in mechanisms of reversing the trend" Dr Kimiti says.

The don explained that snakes can sniff water from many kilometers
away and that they don't end up in peoples home randomly. They are in

Kathini Mulyungi also bitten by a cobra

pursuit of a comfortable atmosphere.

''High rate of charcoal burning, erratic rainfall and harsh climatic
conditions have driven snakes from their habitat to co-exist with
human beings resulting to the conflict'', observed Dr Kimiti.

According to KWS statistics, in the last five years Mwingi has led in
the number of reported cases -- 172 -- followed by Wajir 88, Marsabit
54, Lamu 44, Kajiado 43, Embu 38, Mandera 36, Mbeere 26, Baringo 25,
Kibwezi 24, Kitui 24, Mutomo 19, Makueni 18, Taita Taveta 18,
Transmara 7, while Machakos and Tana River had reported 4 snakebites
each.

This might just be the tip of the iceberg since majority of the cases
do not get reported or followed-up for compensation at KWS.
This has prompted Mwingi district hospital to establish a special
department to deal with rising cases.

According to Josphat Mutinda who heads the unit, poor road network and
inadequate health facilities in the remote areas have led to fatal
incidences of snake bites related deaths in the region.

''Snake bite victims should get treatment in less than 24 hours but
some victims reach health centres even after three days when the
condition has worsened, notes Mr Mutinda.

KWS director general William Kiprono said the government had set aside
Sh3 billion to compensate victims of human wildlife conflicts but
confirmed that increased snake bite cases were overwhelming the
agency.

Mr Kiprono said the recently established county wildlife committees
have been tasked to mount public awareness campaigns to educate
Kenyans on the link between climate change and human wildlife
conflicts.

David Mwendwa had his hand deformed and his
sight compromised after a cobra bite

"These conflicts warrant a broad multi sector approach because climate
change affects all Kenyans and the situation is worsening everyday" he
said in telephone interview.

Under the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act 2013, deaths
resulting from any animal attack qualify for compensation of a maximum
Sh5 million, while those who survive with injuries get up to Sh2
million.

The director said that the Sh3 billion isn't enough to compensate all
cases and called on Kenyans to wake up to the reality of the complex
human wildlife conflict and devise sustainable ways of dealing with
the menace.

Like the biblical story of the snake menace which plagued the
Israelites in the wilderness, people living in arid lands being warned
to conserve their environment lest they bequeath the next generation a
more complicated problem.

For instance, victims who survive attack by the puff adder, a snake
known to be responsible for many fatalities, end up with amputated
limbs.