Power struggles over Meru National Park

[aeichener]

My negative opinion about the bunch of buffoons and stooges known as KWS is known to some here, I guess. It is interesting to note that there are now internal power struggles waging in a trilateral quarrel between new KWS directorate, foreign donors, and parts of the older management (wardens). John Mbaria wrote a fairly slanted and partial, but nevertheless interesting report in the "East African". Mbaria is a good fellow, but this one was basically a one-sided public relations mouthpiece for the KWS directorate.

Nevertheless, the story is very interesting, because it shows a lot of what is wrong in Kenyan wildlife non-management, apart from corruption and brutality; not the least of which ills are remaining authoritarian colonialist attitudes and constant paternalistic influence of foreign donors, fully home-bred ignorance and ineptitude on the other side, and on the third side the over-strong influence of some old-school foreign (and white Kenyan) animal-huggers and fortress conservationists, who are entrenched in ideologies of yesteryears (e.g. Dame Daphne Sheldrick, as nice and prim an old lady she otherwise may be).

Info on Meru National Park:
www.ifaw.org/ifaw/general/default.aspx?oid=77067

Mbaria's EA article:
www.nationmedia.com/eastafrican/current/News/News0304200631.htm

Alexander

[aeichener]

Follow-up. In his second article, Mbaria made his vassallage clear. He is a supporter of Julius Kipng'etich, and has been - since many years - an avid adversary if not enemy of the "old lions" (including Kenya cowboys) in the senior KWS staff and donor scene.

He made his partisanship unmistakably clear in his second article where he wrote:
"The fiercest resistance to the changes has come from senior members of staff at KWS headquarters"
www.nationmedia.com/eastafrican/current/News/News0304200633.htm

I have no problems with journalists clearly taking sides - if they honestly declare it. Mbaria did declare it long ago. But most others don't.

Alexander

[aeichener]

Here is another piece of the current public relations campaign. It's really intriguing to see the struggle under the moving blanket. The following is a typical "non-news" item, just being sent out as a PR item in order to get the KWS directorate into the media at a crucial time:

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4888020.stm

Of course, the whole thing is a smokescreen for the "animal lovers" faction; the really problem are not some ivory tusks any more, poaching having been brought under control pretty efficiently (and brutally). The really problems of Kenyan wildlife and KWS are nicely passed over by such "canned info". But here, for those of you interested in a reality check, have an article by one of Kenya's most knowledgeable authors in the field, Wycliffe Muga:

www.sanwild.org/NOTICEBOARD/JANMAY06/Spare%20Special%20Thought%20for%20Poor%20Elephants.HTM

Alexander

[aeichener]

Strangely enough, Mr. Wycliffe Muga indeed replied to my email (again, as he did already once in the past). Well, maybe it is not *that* strange, given that Muga is a journalist, not an editor, that despicable, egoistic, near-blind and sloth-like creature... Indeed, any zoologist must wonder which strange circumstances do eventually effect (and in which metabolical way) the complete metamorphosis of that frequently intelligent, witty and conscientious, winged creature of journalist into the slowly-moving and incommunicative gluttonous bag called "editor".
A very Kenyan phenomenon indeed, already unknown among the fauna of neighbouring Uganda.

Anyhow, Wycliffe Muga wrote a poignant commentary in the recent Nation edition, where he also touched some points which I addressed above:

"Animal Worship a Threat to Conservation"
www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/nmgcontententry.asp?category_id=25&newsid=71042

Alexander

[maina]

Alexander,
I did not know anything about KWS/national park politics and I was wondering why you are broken up by these folks. Now I get it. But could all this madness be attributed to the civil service's disposition to adhere and maintain a culture of entitlement? I am concerned because Meru National Par is pretty much the "nest egg" of wildlife and tourism in the Mount Kenya region, and if these things are prevalent to such an extent as you have explicated here, then something must be done! Anyhow, good riddance.

Maina

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