Author: Nicholas Kigondu

The Kenya Red Cross Society is planning to review its level of preparedness in responding to incidents of mass casualties.

Kenya Red Cross Secretary General Ahmed Idris says the development is in formed by recent incidents including the Shakahola massacre that left at least 426 followers of controversial preacher Paul Mackenzie dead.

“Mass Casualties incidents like this are an opportunity to reflect on our capacity as a nation, our capacity as an institution our preparedness to be able to deal with such tragedies, we are learning as a nation, we are learning as an institution,” he said

Speaking while touring the Malindi Sub hospital mortuary where 425 bodies of Shakahola tragedies are in a temporary donated container, Idris said part of their visit was to document and understand lessons learnt so as to prepare for the future when such incidents occur.

He also met with volunteers who took part in the Shakahola search and rescue, exhumation and the general operation.

“We have spent time with the volunteers to understand their experience, the needs of the communities and we are leaving here this evening with a better understanding of what we to plan ahead as an institution to support the communities who come out of this particular tragedy,” he said.

Idris said they will be expanding the temporary storage facility to the Shakahola tragedy bodies in coming days so as to create space to allow for identification of bodies.

Police have recovered freshly slaughtered donkey carcasses that were being prepared for local consumption, at a thicket in Kiambu County.

The recovery followed a midnight raid at the scene of the slaughter in Kiahiti village in Gatune sub-location, where over 7 carcasses were found sprawled on the ground.

Earlier, the officers based at Nachu police post had gathered intelligence on the impending slaughter and arrived at the scene on time as the unscrupulous meat vendors slaughtered the beasts of burden, whose meat finds its way to butcheries and meat joints in the city disguised as beef.

According to police, the unscrupulous meat dealers extract boneless meat from their carcasses which is sold to meat lovers in the city exorbitantly, disguised as beef fillet and other boneless chops.

A family in Malindi is seeking help to have the body of their daughter retrieved from the Indian Ocean after she committed suicide at the Kilifi Bridge.

Beatrice Neema Kaluma, a 22 Year old a final student at Shanzu Teachers College in Mombasa County is said to have left her home four days prior to her demise.

Mary Mwadondo, Neema’s mother, says that her daughter woke up early on Thursday morning and left the house but she did not reveal where she was going.

“She left at 3: 55 am and when I asked her where she was going, she told me she wanted to drink tap water within the compound but she failed to return, that is when I woke up his brother to try to find out but she could not be traced,” she said.

Mwadondo said they received news from the area chief after reporting the matter who told them the woman who was found bore similar features to that of her daughters’.

“The chief in Malindi broke the news to us that she had committed suicide and her national identity card and phone were at the Kilifi police station. We then immediately travelled to Kilifi police station where we confirmed the sad news,” she added.

According to an eye witnesses, the deceased arrived in Kilifi town from Malindi at around 5:00 am on Thursday morning and boarded a boda boda heading towards Mnarani area, but upon reaching at the middle of the bridge, she stopped the rider, quickly alighted and jumped in the water at the middle of the bridge.

According to Abdi Shalo of the Kilifi Boat Operators Association, cases of people jumping off the Kilifi Bridge were on the rise and that many ended up losing their lives because of lack of sea rescue equipment.

“We have seen an increase in the number of people trying to jump over the bridge but we lack diving gear that will make rescue operations smooth. We want the County government to address the issue,” he said.

Renewed efforts by sea turtle conservationists in the conservation of the endangered species along the Kenyan coastline appear to be paying off as communities embrace turtle protection.

Through multi-stakeholder partnerships, it is hoped that conservation efforts to protect the endangered sea turtles population from being extinct will continue to bear fruit.

According to Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), there are seven species of sea turtles, five of which are found in Kenya’s coastlines. They include the green Turtle, Hawksbill Turtle, Loggerhead Turtle, Olive Ridleys Turtle, and the Leatherback Turtle which remains endangered.

Dr. Mohamed Omar, Head of Marine and Conservation at Wildlife Research and Training Institute say the turtles are protected by the wildlife Act and Kenya has signed a treaty with other African countries that spearheads the protection and conservation of turtles.

Marine experts have hailed efforts undertaken by stakeholders in marine ecosystem conservation after the release of over 100 endangered green sea turtle hatchlings from their nesting sites to the ocean at Nyali Beach in Mombasa County.

KWS says the green turtles usually nest along Kenya’s coastline and are among the most exploited species, leading to a drastic decline in their population.

“Turtles have been integrated with coastal people traditions, for a long time has been used as food. They believe that turtles cure asthma and improve health. Those have been used as an excuse to catch them,” said Dr. Omar.

The released green sea turtle hatchlings, Dr. Omar said will migrate to as far as Mauritius and return after 25 years to hatch thus their habitats shouldn’t be interfered with through human activities.

“This beach should not be fenced or have too many lights. There is an urgent need to protect our beaches to preserve the existence of turtles,” said Dr. Omar. “

He added that turtle conservation projects are a great way of protecting sea turtles and coastal ecosystems. Dr. Omar disclosed that there will be an international meeting next year in Mombasa to deliberate on issues affecting turtles as endangered species.

According to Saidi Shee a Deputy Marine Park Warden, sensitization and awareness among communities has helped greatly in marine life conservation.

“We have been encouraging local communities to step up this initiative and we have also been involved in education and awareness among the youths. The communities are embracing this initiative,” said Shee adding that 120 turtles were released to the sea.

Abeid Mohamed, Honorary Warden and Head of a Community Based Organization; Early Bird Banda is spearheading the conservation efforts in the Nyali beach area for the turtles.

Mohamed revealed that over 1,000 hatchlings have been released to the sea from March this year as a result of an informed community.

In December last year, the ministry of Tourism Wildlife, and Heritage launched the Sea Turtle Conservation Protocol in Kenya to serve as a guide in sea Turtle conservation activities.