KCB RESCUES BUNGULE VILLAGE FROM WATER PROBLEMS AND JUMBO MENACE

Bungule, Kasigau Voi July 16 –

Residents of Bungule village in Kasigau, Voi marked a new dawn in the race to access clean water, after receiving 30,000 liter water harvesting system that will enable them harvest run-off water from Mt. Kasigau. The water harvesting system was donated by the KCB Foundation and shall benefit over 1500 residents from this area strained by water scarcity and human elephant conflicts. The water tanks shall provide residents with water and keep them away from the wildlife watering points. ‘These tanks shall help save lives because previously we had to fight with wild animals; especially elephants at the water pans’ said Mzee Alphonse Mwaudoma (Chairman Kasigau Ranch)

Bungule village is at the foot of Mt. Kasigau, residents have been using water from the mountain streams that collects at the water pans. Lack of a reservoir and safe tapping points was a critical challenge that has now been overcome. An existing water pan in the Kasigau ranch is set to be deepened to provide wildlife with sufficient water and help limit the human animal conflict witnessed in the area.

The community and wildlife now have separate water access points. The overall outcome is reduced human elephant conflicts, further the residents have adopted other ingenious methods like chili planting that keeps elephants at bay. The long term intervention includes building the capacity of local communities to protect the water resources through afforestation programs, increase chili farming to deter elephants from destroying crops and as a livelihood activity, recruitment and training of scouts to enhance the protection of wildlife and forest resources. According to Frank Omondi, “Kasigau Wildlife Trust has a long term involvement in the area and is happy to partner with KCB Foundation to address the water situation and explore other strategic interventions to improve the livelihood of Kasigau people.”

About KCB Foundation

The KCB Foundation was established in 2007 to drive social investments of the KCB Group in markets where the bank operates. The Foundation invests in communities in the areas of Education, Environment, Enterprise development, Health and in Humanitarian aid. Since its inception the Foundation has invested over 400 million shillings into development projects. In 2011 the KCB Foundation shall inject 120 million shillings into community development projects that seek to provide sustainable solutions to challenges facing communities in Kenya, South Sudan Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania.

About Kasigau Wildlife Trust (KWT)

Headquartered in Nairobi with a field office in Kasigau, KWT is a joint venture between Finch Travels Ltd and the over 26,000 Kasigau residents. The long term goal of this partnership is to enhance the protection of the natural resources; currently at a high risk due to poaching and logging, and to build and strengthen the institutional capacity among the Kasigau Community to manage these resources in a way that is sustainable and beneficial to them in the long run. W: www.kasigau.org

Contact:

KCB:

Judith Sidi Odhiambo -

Corporate Communication Manager

Email jsodhiambo@kcb.co.ke; Tel 327 0082

Kasigau Wildlife Trust:

Frank Omondi and David Ogiga

T: +254 7222 14932 or +254 7214 74286

E: frank@kasigau.org ; david@kasigau.org