Expansion of the electricity in poses serious risks to wildlife in Kenya, with calls rising for preliminary conduct of environment assessment to prevent the rate at which animals and birds are being electrocuted.

Data from the Kenya Wildlife Service, National Museums of Kenya and a host of conservancies show that expansion of electricity is infrastructure in Kenya directly related to the sharp rise in numbers of species in the wild electrocuted to death.  In the past five years, 500 colobus monkeys have been electrocuted as were 5,000 birds of prey, the data show.

Hitherto, the only known major threat to the conservation sector was poaching and human-wildlife conflicts that lead to the killing of the animals. Electrocution has now emerged a major threat that killed or injured more than 500 colobus monkeys, unknown number of elephants, giraffes, hippos and rhinos.

Besides the giant mammals, there is also evidence that a rising number of birds has been electrocuted leading to calls to ensure that the power infrastructure does not interfere with wildlife migration corridors.

During a meeting of conservation in Nanyuki town, central Kenya, stakeholders, among them government officials, tour operators, community leaders and security officers to devise measures curb incidence of wildlife electrocution, it was recommended that the energy sector make powerlines safe for wildlife.

 “The energy sector is expanding and Kenya targets to have universal connectivity by the year 2030 and to achieve that, powerlines are being built and might escalate interaction between powerlines and the wildlife biodiversity,” said John Oguda, an energy consultant and former Kenya Power Company (KPC) employee. 

Oguda pointed out that there is a rise in electrocution of birds and wildlife by existing powerlines.

“Biodiversity is part of the power development system in the country and we have witnessed a lot of electrocution. Birds are being killed every time. We are urging the energy sector before any project starts that they must do environmental social impact assessment,” the expert said.

The former KPC manager called for involvement of stakeholders to discuss wildlife accidents and deaths along new power transmission lines to find mutually beneficial solutions to prevent electrocutions and promote biodiversity.

According to Peregrine Fund Director Darcy Ogada, almost 200 wildlife species have been electrocuted in the past five years, majority being raptors that are a critical to environment stabilisation.

‘’There is a very serious problem with electrocution of wildlife, in particular raptors, are the most electrocuted group of species. We hope to develop better mitigation when energy infrastructures are being built in rural areas,” said the Peregrine Fund director.

According to Dr Peter Njoroge, head of ornithology section at the National Museums of Kenya, electrocution has reduced stocks of raptors in the wild. Dr Njoroge says raptors – the generic name for birds of prey – are hyper-carnivorous bird species that survive by hunting and feeding on other animals. He says currently, Kenya has 103 species (including owls) of birds of prey ranging from the tiny pygmy falcon to the lappet-faced vulture, which is the largest raptor on the continent. Birds of prey provide key ecosystem services such as getting rid of disease-causing carcasses.

Unfortunately, the ornithologist says, several species are increasingly exposed to extinction due to several threats, among them electrocution from high voltage transmission lines.

Pam Cunneyworth from Colobus Conservation agency said that 550 primates were reported electrocuted in Kwale County between 1997 and 2023, with 54 per cent being injured.

Last year, the Kenya Wildlife Service reported that eight wild buffaloes were electrocuted by low-lying powerlines in Lake Nakuru National Park, some 170 kilometres west of the capital Nairobi. KWS said the powerlines were lying on the ground after engineers replaced a wooden pole with a metallic one. In 2021, two giraffes were electrocuted when they walked into low-lying electric power transmission lines in Soysambu Conservancy in western Kenya. Conservationists at the time said experts’ advice was ignored, leading to the deaths.

Colobus Conservation in collaboration with KPLC in 2017 removed 12 kilometres of uninsulated powerlines in Diani at the Kenya coast and replaced them with insulated lines. The agencies also moved transformers, which given their location, were causing multiple primate electrocutions.

Kenya Wildlife Service Assistant Director in charge of Laikipia station, Rose Malenya said that, while there was a need to enhance infrastructure it must be balanced with protecting biodiversity.

In a 2023 report, the National Museums of Kenya says preliminary assessment in 2010 of the potential risks from electrical infrastructure to large birds in Kenya by Jon Smallie and Munir Z. Virani, established that of approximately 24 relevant bird species that are of conservation concern in Kenya, 17 species (71 per cent) face a high risk of direct interactions with electrical infrastructure.

It says priority species that get electrocuted include the Egyptian vulture, white-headed vulture, lappet-faced vulture, grey-crowned crane, lesser flamingo, white-backed vulture, rappel’s vulture, martial eagle, white stork, secretary bird and various sit-and-wait raptors like augur buzzard and long-crested eagle.

The Kenya Bird of Prey Trust says electrocution kills in a number of ways, first by disrupting and overheating the electrical pathways of the nerves and the brain, shocking the heart, causing muscle contraction or tightening, leading to an inability to let go of the electricity wire (caused by muscle seizure or tightening. The agency estimates that there could be over 5,000 birds dying every year from electrocution.

• A Tell / KNA report