Farmers from Musutsu village in Lumakanda location, Lugari Sub County are worried over hundreds of monkeys that have invaded their farms destroying their crops and threatening farming in the area.
Speaking to West Media, the farmers led by Keran Kihima and Joshua Mbaya expressed their disappointment over damages caused by the primates on their farms.
They said they are staring starvation in the face as their hopes of harvesting this season were minimal due to the monkey invasion.
Kihima whose three acre maize plantation has been destroyed by the monkeys on the lose said she took a loan to finance her maize farming and now wondering how to repay the loan.
“I am a widow and I don’t know who is going to compensate me for the money I have used to plant the maize,” Kihima said.
She called on the KWS to pay for the loan she borrowed to finance her maize farming, adding that there was none to assist her.
“I have borrowed this loan from a farming financing group and I am helpless because I don’t know how I’ll repay it,” she complained.
She said the neighbours have also experienced Monkeys destroying their crops in their farms and there was no action taken even after complaining to the relevant government bodies.
Henry Muleri, also a farmer in Musutsu Village said fear of Monkeys’ destruction have made him not till his ten acres land.
Muleri revealed that monkeys have destroyed their farm crops for the last five years with no action from concerned authorities.
He regretted that hunger which is already affecting them will continue through next year if quick action is not taken to prevent further destruction.
Japheth Otiato said he has 8 children and 14 grandchildren but they’re forced to sleep hungry because their farms have been invaded.
“We have been complaining but no one has come to our rescue yet we depend on farming to get food and earn income. For the last five years you cannot plant anything since the monkeys destroy maize, vegetables, sugarcane, bananas among other produce,” Otiato noted.
On his part, Mbaya called on the government to assess the damage, look for a lasting solution and compensate affected farmers.
“Food security is key but if the primates are not controlled it might lead to human conflict and lead to food insecurity,” he noted.
