Emotions ran high during a public participation event in Lamu East on the proposed Wildlife Conservation and Management (Amendment) Bill of 2023 as citizens narrated their ordeals.
The 2023 Bill seeks to compensate victims of stonefish, whales, and sting rays among wildlife species.
Victims of marine wildlife attacks in Lamu asked the government to compensate them.
They raised concerns about what they perceive as systematic marginalisation and neglect in their pursuit of compensation from the government.
Victims shared harrowing stories of their ordeals at the hands of marine predators like stingrays, whales and sharks.
Those who have been victims of stingray attacks lamented the economic sabotage they face, as recovery from such attacks can take up to three to six months.
Aidar Omar Nassir, who lost a limb to a shark attack while fishing in Kizingiti Island, expressed his frustrations.
"I have no reason to continue living in this country; I should just die because I have wished to be compensated by the state for over 10 years since I was attacked," he said.
"This is despite meeting all the requirements, I am being kept in the waiting bay. My family is suffering, I am no longer the breadwinner and my wife is almost running away as my children have dropped out of school. The government should compensate me to save my family."
Ali Salim, a resident of Kizingiti, revealed that despite his brother losing his life to a whale attack, the family has yet to receive any compensation or assistance, even after numerous and expensive trips to the Kenya Wildlife Service offices on Lamu Island.
"For the last five years, we have not received any payment since we lost our brother, as he went about fishing the deep seas," he said.
A resident of Faza Island Fatima Shebe emphasized the impact of stingrays and stonefish attacks on marriages.
She said victims must endure a period of between three to six months before being intimate with their partners.
She also pointed out that women bear the brunt of the attacks as they have to shoulder additional responsibilities for the family's well-being including providing food, clothing and shelter and paying school fees during the recovery period.
The committee, under the interim chairmanship of Voi MP Khamis Chome, vowed to push for the enactment of the bill to provide relief to victims of marine attacks.
"We will push for the inclusion of four marine animals in the compensation schedule as it was before being repealed; because we have seen victims of shark attacks as well as sting rays, it is indeed true that the people are suffering and it is not fiction," Chome said.
Lamu East MP Ruweida Obo said that at least 1,200 people, in the last five years have fallen victim to marine animal attacks.
The most common culprits are sharks, stonefish, stingrays, starfish and whales.
He said that between 2020 and 2021 around 200 individuals were attacked by sharks, stone fish, whales and stingrays.
Seven lives have been lost due to shark attacks, while a staggering 158 individuals suffered injuries from stingray encounters.
He added that 14 victims had to endure limb amputations following encounters with stonefish while others experienced a partial or complete loss of function in various body parts, including limbs and the spine as a result of these ruthless marine wildlife attacks.