The local residents of Machani village in Lari constituency, Kiambu County said they will burn down the entire Kijabe forest because the monkeys are attacking them from that forest and Kenya Wildlife Service has not lifted a finger to help them. Recently, they chased women and scared away children who were going to school.
They also said these monkeys have destroyed their properties especially food crops in their gardens for many years.
Kijabe chief Njoroge Mungai stopped the residents from burning the forest which is located close to Ngubi and Kinale forests. Fire might end up consuming all the 3 forests at the same time but the locals swear to burn it down because their appeals for action to the Kenya Wildlife Service has not nee successful.
One of the locals Nancy Nduta said they have never harvested anything although the area is really productive. Most of the people have stopped growing crops as it just a waist of time thus the fame that is in the area. They can not afford to guard crops from monkeys all day long because you have to do domestic work.
She said these wild monkeys attack and destroy their farms during day time when they are hungry and all the people are sleeping and during day, they move towards women chasing them from their farms so that they can get a chance to steal green maize and uproot potatoes and carrots.
So far they have destroyed her five-acre maize plantation. These animals are supposed to be keep in conserved areas if they are needed for tourism purposes otherwise once they are not in a gazette area, they are wild which makes them dangerous to humans.
