Police on Friday briefly arrested two MCAs who had joined demonstrators in Mtito Andei, Makueni county.
Mtito Andei MCA Francis Mulwa and his Masongaleni counterpart Bryan Nzoka were arrested while they were addressing demonstrators who were protesting against increased human-wildlife conflict in the area.
The two were held briefly at Mtito Andei police station before they were transferred to Kambu police station. They were held for two hours, one of the MCAs said.
A source privy to the matter, said the two MCAs were released without being questioned but were ordered to report to Kibwezi subcounty DCI headquarters on July 12.
The two had joined residents who were demonstrating against the increased human-wildlife conflicts in Mtito Andei and Masongaleni wards.
The demonstrators had barricaded the Nairobi-Mombasa highway, saying they were tired of being killed, maimed and losing property to wild animals.
The residents said they were being terrorised by elephants, lions and cheetahs. They said their pleas had always landed on deaf ears.
“Jumbos have in the last two months killed three residents, destroyed crops and plastic water tanks in homesteads,” a resident claimed.
Residents said most the affected were inhabitants of areas bordering the Tsavo National Park. Both wards are in Kibwezi East constituency.
They said they were staring at starvation due to the losses caused by the wildlife, especially on crops.
The Makueni government is erecting an electric fence to seal off the park. The fencing is incomplete.
“These elephants are too many, I just wonder what is happening,” Paul Kasesi said.
Joseph Kitavi said a lion killed a cow belonging to an elderly man at Muaani village last Thursday, but no action had been taken.
Nzoka before his arrest said someone was killed in his ward by an elephant two weeks ago.
“This is the reason I joined the demonstrations to send a message to the government to address the problem,” Nzoka told reporters.