The success Kenya has achieved in protecting its elephants is now coming with a heavy cost for farmers living near national parks, as growing herds increasingly leave protected areas and destroy crops, property and sources of water.
President William Ruto is among those affected by the rising conflict after elephants entered his farm in Taita Taveta County, destroyed his maize crop and pulled down an electric fence.
The President said he was forced to seek help from the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), while calling for a lasting answer to the problem facing communities living near Tsavo East and Tsavo West national parks.
The growing clashes point to an unusual problem for conservation authorities. While Kenya has managed to increase the number of elephants through stronger protection measures, the animals now have to share increasingly limited space with a growing human population and expanding farming activities.
Kenya’s elephant population has risen from 32,214 in 2014 to 42,072, representing a 30.6 per cent increase in slightly more than 10 years.
KWS Director-General Erustus Kanga said the growth has been supported by anti-poaching efforts, intelligence-led investigations, prosecution of wildlife crimes and better cooperation between security agencies.
The reduction in elephant poaching has been especially notable. According to Prof Kanga, the number of elephants killed for their tusks dropped from 164 in 2014 to only 16 in 2025.
“The recovery of the elephant population has strengthened the country's conservation credentials and helped us meet local and global wildlife protection commitments,” he said.
But the growing population is creating pressure in areas where farms and settlements have expanded into spaces close to wildlife habitats.
“Due to land use change and expansion of agriculture, human-elephant conflicts have gone up,” Prof Kanga said.
Residents living around Tsavo and other wildlife areas have continued to report cases of elephants destroying crops and property. Some encounters have also resulted in deaths and injuries, raising concerns among communities whose livelihoods depend heavily on farming.
The problem became particularly clear two months ago when more than 300 elephants left Tsavo National Park and entered villages in Kilifi County.
The animals destroyed crops, water sources and farmland, with Youth Affairs PS Fikirini Jacobs among those whose property was affected.
KWS sent helicopters to push the elephants back into Tsavo, but the incident once again brought calls for a permanent electric fence around the park.
President Ruto later announced that Sh315 million had been secured for the construction of a 140-kilometre electric fence around the park.
“The matter was also raised by Governor Gideon Mung aro, Ganze MP Kenneth Tungule and other leaders. I had promised to look for funds and have secured Sh315 million,” he said.
President Ruto said Prof Kanga was completing the tendering process and that construction was expected to start by July.
Prof Kanga was last week reappointed to lead KWS for another three years, placing him at the centre of efforts to deal with the growing tension between wildlife protection and the safety of communities.
The challenge is no longer limited to stopping poachers from killing elephants. KWS must also find ways of keeping the growing elephant population within protected areas while reducing the damage caused when the animals move into farms and settlements.
In Kwale, Kinango MP Gonzi Rai called on President Ruto to step in over elephants that have been destroying crops in the area. Taita Taveta Woman Representative Lydia Haika also raised similar concerns over the impact of the animals on local communities.
Tana River Senator Danson Mungatana said the problem had added to food insecurity, with families losing crops after elephants entered their farms.
“I met Prof Kanga to present our complaints about elephants. Families have reported deaths and injuries. We hope for a permanent solution,” he said.
The dispute has also extended to land and conservation arrangements in Kilifi, where President Ruto directed the deregistration of Shirango Conservancy and ordered that the land be returned to local residents.
“Shirango Conservancy was registered illegally,” he said.
The conservancy has faced tensions involving local residents, conservation organisations and politicians. Residents have accused its management of limiting their access to community land while not doing enough to address the wildlife problem.
Governor Mung aro welcomed the President’s decision, saying Coast leaders had agreed to press the government to give greater attention to the crisis.
He said he had spoken with Tourism and Wildlife CS Rebecca Miano, who assured him that aircraft and more KWS officers would be sent to the area to help move elephants back into Tsavo.
However, Mung aro said returning the animals to the park was not enough and that fencing offered a more lasting way of dealing with the repeated incursions.
For Kenya, the rising elephant population is a sign that years of conservation work are bearing fruit. But unless wildlife and communities can be kept apart, the same gains could continue to fuel tension between the need to protect elephants and the need to safeguard farms, homes and livelihoods.