NAIROBI — The Kenya Veterinary Association (KVA) has called on the National Government to immediately audit Kimana tomato harvests, trace restricted cyanide sources, and enforce protected migration corridors, while pressing relevant County Governments to establish non-lethal conflict deterrents and regulate agricultural chemicals following the cyanide poisoning of 15 elephants in the Amboseli ecosystem.
KVA President Dr. Kelvin Osore warned that the deaths, recorded between June 24 and July 24, 2026, represent both an ecological catastrophe and a severe threat to public food safety. According to preliminary Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) tests, the elephants ingested the lethal chemical alongside tomatoes on farms near the Kimana sanctuary and Kuku Group ranch areas.
Addressing the national administration, through an official statement, the KVA expressed deep concern over official claims that produce potent enough to kill 15 jumbos poses no immediate health hazard to human consumers. The association is demanding that the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, together with the Ministry of Health, conduct immediate laboratory screening on all commercial produce exiting the Kimana region before it reaches public markets.
Furthermore, national security organs must launch a multi-agency investigation to pinpoint how restricted cyanide entered the region, specifically examining claims linking the compound to clandestine gold mining operations. The central government must also institute macro-level zoning policies to shield vital wildlife routes from agricultural encroachment.
At the county level, devolved leadership surrounding the Amboseli basin is under pressure to defuse the escalating human-wildlife friction driving farmers to defend their fields through lethal means. As cultivation expands near park borders, roaming herds in search of sustenance frequently enter farmland, leading to severe crop loss and retaliatory actions.
Affected county administrations must intervene by partnering with farming communities in Kimana and Kuku to deploy non-lethal pest and wildlife control systems, alongside strict local tracking of toxic farm chemicals. By establishing clear physical boundaries between active agricultural plots and traditional wildlife corridors, county leaders can safeguard agrarian livelihoods while insulating elephants from fatal retaliatory measures.
The tragedy underscores a dangerous trend of weaponizing industrial chemicals against wild animals, echoing historical poaching incidents in Zimbabwe where watering holes were poisoned with cyanide. While the Amboseli deaths appear connected to human-wildlife conflict rather than ivory poaching, veterinary authorities emphasize that introducing highly toxic substances into open agricultural landscapes creates an unsustainable hazard for the entire ecosystem. Because animal welfare, environmental integrity, and human health are inextricably linked, both national and county leaders must demonstrate the political courage necessary to secure the food supply and safeguard the nation’s natural heritage.
