“The reported deaths of at least 15 elephants in the Amboseli ecosystem are not simply a wildlife tragedy. They are a warning that Kenya’s pesticide governance, regulatory oversight, and enforcement systems require urgent reform. If toxic chemicals are capable of entering crops consumed by elephants, we must ask whether farmers, farm workers, neighboring communities, livestock, and consumers are being adequately protected.”
Dr Paula Kahumbu, CEO, WildlifeDirect
WildlifeDirect, the Kenyan conservation organization that led the Hands Off Our Elephants campaign, credited with contributing to an 80 percent reduction in elephant poaching between 2013 and 2016, is calling on the government to treat the Amboseli poisonings as a national priority requiring immediate, transparent, and multi-sectoral action.
Preliminary Kenya Wildlife Service investigations have linked the deaths to cyanide contamination associated with pesticides used on tomato farms neighboring Amboseli National Park, Kimana Sanctuary, and Kuku Ranch. KWS Director General Prof. Erustus Kanga confirmed that laboratory analysis of carcass samples detected traces of cyanide in the animals’ digestive systems. Ten of the 15 elephants showed symptoms of partial paralysis before dying within one to two days. The majority of those killed were adult females and calves, the reproductive core of the population.
These deaths follow the poisoning of six lions and 32 vultures in the same ecosystem in January 2026, a pattern that points to systemic failure, not isolated misfortune.
A public health question that demands answers
If cyanide-laced pesticides are contaminating crops at levels lethal to elephants, the question of whether those same chemicals are reaching local markets and consumers is legitimate, urgent, and unanswered. People chronically affected by pesticide exposure face serious health consequences, including learning disabilities, hormonal disruption, immune suppression, miscarriages, growth impairment, and increased cancer risk.
Kenya already faces a growing burden of cancers and other chronic diseases. A performance audit by the auditor general, released in the same week as the Amboseli deaths were confirmed, found that the Pest Control Products Board (PCPB) has failed to adequately monitor and enforce compliance with pesticide regulations. Seizures of expired, counterfeit, and unregistered pesticides rose to 28,617 kilogrammes in 2024/25. The audit found the PCPB lacked post-registration surveillance, an updated database of pesticide-handling premises, and assessments of long-term environmental impact.
Many farmers rely on advice from agrochemical suppliers and retailers without access to independent information about the long-term health and environmental consequences of the products they purchase. Where illegal, counterfeit, or unregistered products enter the market, or where existing laws are not enforced, the consequences are borne by ordinary Kenyans, by wildlife, and by future generations.
Five immediate actions we urge the Government to take
WildlifeDirect calls on the government to act immediately in five areas:
1. Launch a fully independent, transparent investigation involving KWS, the Pest Control Products Board, NEMA, the Ministries of Health, Water, and Agriculture, county governments, and independent scientific experts with all findings made public.
2. Introduce meaningful accountability. Public officials and institutions that fail to enforce the law, including where regulatory negligence can be demonstrated, should face administrative and legal consequences. Individuals and companies that illegally import, sell, or misuse prohibited or restricted pesticides should face substantial penalties and prosecution under existing law.
3. Strengthen pesticide regulation and compliance. Conduct a national audit of pesticide registration, importation, distribution, and procurement; review highly hazardous pesticides against international evidence; and require routine compliance inspections and residue testing.
4. Protect public health through transparency. Communities and the public have a right to know what chemicals are being used around them, the associated health risks, environmental impacts, monitoring results, and residue testing data. Public access to this information is essential for informed decision-making and accountability.
5. Invest in farmer support and safer agriculture. Expand independent farmer education, strengthen extension services, promote integrated pest management and safer alternatives, and ensure farmers are not left dependent on commercial marketing for technical advice. Farmers are among the first victims of a broken regulatory system, not its cause.
“The Amboseli elephants may have revealed a much larger problem. Their deaths should prompt a national conversation about how hazardous chemicals are regulated, monitored, and enforced in Kenya. Protecting wildlife, protecting farmers, and protecting public health are not competing priorities—they are one and the same. We cannot afford to wait for evidence of harm to people before acting decisively.”
Dr Paula Kahumbu
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