A family from Mandera County has received an outstanding wildlife compensation payment of Ksh770,000 after a four-year wait, following the intervention of the Commission on Administrative Justice (CAJ), commonly known as the Ombudsman.
In a statement on Tuesday, June 23, the commission said the payment was processed by the State Department for Wildlife after investigations revealed that the compensation balance had been delayed and erroneously paid to the wrong individual.
According to the Office of the Ombudsman, the case originated from a complaint filed by a Mandera resident whose son suffered injuries after a snake bite in 2020.
"A resident of Mandera, Mr. H.M.H, lodged a complaint with the Commission alleging an unreasonable delay in the payment of the compensation balance due to his son, A.H.M. (a minor), who was bitten by a snake in Kubihalo Sub-location, Mandera County, in June 2020," the statement read.
According to H.M.H, a compensation claim was duly submitted to the then Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife through the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS).
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The Ministerial Wildlife Compensation Management Committee (MCMC) approved compensation amounting to Ksh1.5 million.
However, the family only received Ksh730,000, leaving an outstanding balance of Ksh770,000.
"Mr. H.M.H stated that the last payment had been received in 2024 and that repeated follow-ups and visits to the KWS offices in Mandera had failed to secure payment of the remaining balance," the statement added.
The family subsequently sought assistance from the Ombudsman after numerous attempts to obtain the balance proved unsuccessful.
"He therefore sought the Commission's intervention to expedite the release of the outstanding compensation, noting that the funds were critical for his son's ongoing care and recovery and that the prolonged delay had caused significant emotional and financial hardship to his family," the statement noted.
The Office of the Ombudsman launched inquiries and first engaged the Director General of KWS.
After receiving no response, a reminder was issued; the Director General later informed the commission that compensation for wildlife-related losses is administered by the State Department for Wildlife, which processes and pays all Human-Wildlife Conflict claims.
The commission then wrote to the Principal Secretary in the State Department for Wildlife.
The department acknowledged the inquiry and revealed discrepancies in its records.
According to the records received from KWS, the designated payee was listed as A.H.A. instead of H.M.H.
In a response to the Commission, H.M.H said he had been informed during a visit to the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife that the outstanding balance had already been paid to an individual he did not know.
He maintained that he was the rightful beneficiary as the father of the injured child and insisted that no documents had ever been submitted to alter the beneficiary details.
"Please note that travelling from Mandera to Nairobi is very costly and at times I stay in hotels for even three weeks trying to follow up on the payment at the Ministry and then back to Kenya Wildlife, and then return to the Ministry.
"This has caused a lot of financial strain on my family and me, coupled with the medical challenges of my son, who needs constant care," he said.
Following a review of correspondence between the State Department for Wildlife and KWS, authorities established that the payment had been mistakenly made to A.H.A., whose own compensation claim had already been fully settled during an earlier disbursement.
As a result, the Principal Secretary directed KWS to recover the funds from A.H.A. or take appropriate administrative action.
On June 5, 2026, the State Department for Wildlife confirmed that the outstanding compensation had finally been processed and paid to the rightful beneficiary.
"The purpose of this letter is to inform you that the Department has duly compensated Mr. H.M.H., the beneficiary of the claimant A.H.M. (minor), for injuries sustained as a result of a wildlife-related incident. The compensation has been processed and paid accordingly," the Principal Secretary said.
H.M.H later confirmed receiving the Ksh770,000 balance, bringing an end to a lengthy compensation dispute that had stretched for several years.
This comes months after the Office of the Ombudsman facilitated the payment of Ksh3.86 million to a landowner following delays in compensation by the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Limited (KETRACO).
In a statement on Monday, April 27, the commission said the payment relates to the compulsory acquisition of land for a power project.
The Office of the Ombudsman detailed how the complaint was initiated and the steps taken to ensure the landowner received his dues.
The land in question was acquired for the construction of the Olkaria–Lessos–Kisumu 400/220 kV Transmission Line Project.
Following the complaint, the Office of the Ombudsman intervened directly with KETRACO’s leadership to push for a resolution.
"The Commission subsequently engaged the Managing Director of KETRACO, leading to the full payment of the outstanding compensation of Ksh3,861,676 to Mr. S.K," the statement added.
