Meru Governor Isaac Mutuma has kicked off a fresh storm online, urging the national government to let residents draw milk not just from camels but from elephants and even giraffes roaming Meru National Park.
Speaking on Monday, 26 May 2025, during the launch of the Human-Wildlife Conflict Compensation Fund, an event attended by President William Ruto, the newly sworn-in governor said communities should reap more direct benefits from wildlife that often destroys crops and homes.
“Watu wa Meru wamelia kwa miaka mingi… Nikauliza ni kwa nini hatujatangamana na kufurahia ndovu wetu, zebra, gazelle… Nikajua ni kwa sababu hawajapatiwa maziwa,” Mutuma told the crowd.
The governor then pushed the envelope further:
“Sasa tunaomba tupatiwe ruhusa tuanze kukamua ndovu, tukamue giraffe,” he said, noting that current law also blocks people from eating game meat.
Online backlash, bemusement and genuine questions
- @MombasaEmir: “Ni kama that mad Tanzania MP was right, out of all the problems in Meru their governor only asked the president for permission to milk elephants”
- @szaimo: “Classic Kenya Kwisha student . He’s already marked for Elder of the Burning Spear”
- @missemadranya: “Just when we thought Tanzania MPs were daft, Ka enyan governor reminds us that we are not out of the woods yet”
- @derolocks: “Sasa utakamua aje elephant. This meru guy ama ni Jaba manii. Tanzania inject”
Kenya banned most game-meat use in 2004 to curb poaching. The Kenya Wildlife Service still bars harvesting milk or meat from protected species unless under strict licensing, a hurdle Mutuma openly wants removed.
A governor still settling in
Mutuma’s rise followed a bruising three-year tug-of-war between former governor Kawira Mwangaza and the Meru County Assembly, a saga that played out in three impeachment rounds before finally ending in court.
- 30 December 2022, first impeachment fails: MCAs impeached Mwangaza on six counts, among them nepotism and misuse of resources. A Senate special committee chaired by Boni Khalwale ruled every charge unsubstantiated and reinstated her.
- 8 November 2023, second bid collapses: A fresh motion with seven allegations – ranging from abuse of office to naming a road after her husband – went to a full Senate plenary. Senators again acquitted her on every count.
- 8 to 21 August 2024, third time unlucky: The assembly tried once more, citing gross violation of the Constitution and gross misconduct. After a heated week-long plenary, 26 senators voted to uphold the ouster on 21 August 2024, ejecting her from office.
- 14 March 2025, court seals her fate: High Court judge Bahati Mwamuye dismissed Mwangaza’s petition, ruling that the impeachment process met all legal thresholds.
- 17 March 2025, Mutuma sworn in: Deputy Governor Isaac Mutuma M’ Ethingia – who had run on the same independent ticket in 2022 – took the oath at Mwendantu grounds, becoming Meru’s fourth county chief.
Since then, the new governor has prioritized faster wildlife-conflict payouts and, as the elephant-milk quip shows, is keen to prove he can turn Meru’s natural assets into revenue after years of political gridlock.
His latest idea is however unlikely to stick.
