Wildlife director resigns amidst controversy
RICHARD Leakey, director of the Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS), resigned again on March 24. Leakey had earlier stepped down from office in January this year, responding to a campaign spearheaded by the minister for local government, William Ole Ntimama and the minister for tourism and wildlife, Noah Katana Ngala, who accused Leakey of depriving nomadic communities like the Masais of their livelihood. Leakey detractors also claimed that he was ignoring the plight of the farmers whose crops were damaged by the marauding elephants and livestock hunted by predators which routinely escaped from national parks and game reserves.
When the beleaguered director offered to resign, the Kenyan President, Daniel Arap Moi, requested him to resume his job on March 10 this year. Moi was obviously influenced by the pro-Leakey stand taken by the West. Not only did the British media take up cudgels on Leakey's behalf, the British government too threatened to withdraw grants for forest conservation and other environmental programmes.
The KWS director returned but, not for long. At a press conference organised at Nairobi on March 24, Leakey announced his decision to quit for the second time. "I have no commitment to hit my head against a brick wall," he said. He complained that it was impossible to work against forces that were bent on destroying Kenya's natural heritage. Leakey was, however, finding it difficult to stomach the new government directive that not only constituted a special team to investigate the charges levelled against him, but also rendered him accountable to his arch enemy, Ngala.