Thursday April 11th 2019
Elephant Neighbors Center (ENC) launched the latest documentary “ Ivory Belongs to Elephants Walk” also ENC launched the 1st publication “ Towards a New Conservation Model “ sharing the lesson learnt in the grass-root campaign walk dubbed “ Ivory Belongs to Elephants “ Kenya’s First Lady, Her Excellency Margaret Kenyatta, presiding over the function.

Between 2013- 2018, ENC, through Jim Justus Nyamu, started the grass-root education campaign walk dubbed “ Ivory Belongs to Elephants” raising awareness on the plight of the African Elephant (Loxodonta Africana). This campaign focuses on reminding communities about elephant conservation, poaching threats and drivers, the elephant values, the role of communities in conservation and highlighting the new Wildlife Conservation and Management Act 2013. I have now walked 15,411km in the following countries and regions Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, UK and USA with plans to walk in Ethiopia, Djibouti and Eritrea in 2019. The campaign has reached out to 16,340 schools with 9,500 in Kenya and held 912 community meetings along the designated routes.

The Ivory belongs to Elephants documentary we are launching today is a significant milestone that hopes to raise global awareness on the plight of the African elephant. I congratulate the Elephant Neighbor’s Centre, led by Jim Nyamu, for the tireless effort, the energy and the courage. The advocacy walks thousands of kilometres across Africa, Europe and America to educate and inform the world about our responsibility to nurture nature, has been a true demonstration of the campaigns resilience says the First Lady Margaret Kenyatta.

Her Excellency stated that conservation continues to be a delicate and complex subject that calls for complimentary capabilities of diverse groups including policy makes, philanthropists, conservationists, civil society, media and local communities. The co-existence of human and wildlife requires a change of attitude, but also call for us to find lasting sustainable solutions that effectively engage local communities as equal partners, and key stakeholders in the conservation movement. It calls for a change of attitude, to see wildlife as a resource that need to be protected and management.

This documentary will help draw the world’s attention to the campaign to save our elephants, and other iconic species for our children and great grandchildren. But it will also give all of us hope in the knowledge that our conservation efforts will not be in vain she adds.

Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife Joe Okudo expressed gratitude to Her Excellency for her dedicated efforts in conservation, including gracing this evening launch that our brother Jim Justus Nyamu has persistently called us too. His campaign calls for a holistic approach in enlightening every citizen the importance of wildlife. Cde, Jim Justus Nyamu acknowledged and applauded the entire guest and distinguished guest for turning in large numbers. In his speech he emphasized that he walks to remind people that we have to conserve for heritage and for the heritage of our children and merely not for tourism.

The lessons learnt make a case for a new conservation model and thus the tittle of my report reads “ Towards a new Conservation Model” Siting from the publication, Jim Justus Nyamu points that the campaign recommends a concerted Government commitment in resolving the existing human-wildlife conflict situations where lives of its citizen, their food security and the agricultural objectives of the country area at risk. I will like to welcome you onboard in this journey as we even move on to the next walk from Nairobi- Ethiopia- Djibouti- Eritrea mid this year.

Ms Grace Nderitu Chief Executive Officer at Ecotourism Kenya, literate on the (EK) youth mentorship program before they join the conservation and tourism industry. Our commitment is to equip our youths upon finishing colleges after training them we can be assured that they will serve with self-respect in the like-minded institutions.