KISUMU, Kenya — Farmers in Ratta, Seme Sub-County, are appealing for urgent government intervention after months of aggressive monkey invasions destroyed large portions of their crops, plunging families into deepening food insecurity.
Residents raised the alarm on Tuesday, December 9, saying the raids — which have persisted for months — have wiped out harvests across the village.
Farmers reported that the primates have become increasingly bold and destructive, stripping entire farms of food crops and even attacking household animals.
“I’ve planted maize in two farms, but I won’t be able to store any in my house. I’ll eat everything,” one farmer lamented. “The monkeys have consumed everything. So if it reaches January, the farm produce will be finished even before I taste anything.”
Another resident described the daily struggle to keep children fed amid the crop losses. “A day ago, I cooked some cassava for my children, and then the monkeys came and consumed everything. The children went to school hungry,” she said.
Farmers said the situation has forced many households to abandon normal routines to guard their fields from dawn to dusk. Armed with slingshots, dogs, tin rattles, and chilli barriers, residents have tried a range of deterrents that offer only temporary relief.
The sustained invasions, they added, have severely strained their productivity and incomes.
Despite the escalating losses, villagers said their appeals to local leaders have gone unanswered. They added that calls to the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) — the agency mandated to manage human–wildlife conflict — have not resulted in any assistance, leaving them without official support or compensation.
The crisis mirrors similar incidents across western Kenya. Communities in Homa Bay County, particularly near Ruma National Park, have suffered years of crop raids by primates, which conservation experts link to habitat loss, reduced food sources in the wild, and shifting climate patterns.
Studies in several regions show that primates account for up to 96pc of crop-raiding incidents, with maize, cassava, bananas, and groundnuts among the most vulnerable crops.
Farmers in Ratta warn that without swift intervention, families may soon face hunger. Many households already struggle to secure meals following failed harvests in the last season, and residents now fear the new losses will push them into a humanitarian crisis.
They are appealing to both the national and county governments to provide immediate relief food and coordinate a long-term plan with KWS to manage the escalating monkey incursions.
They argue that intervention is not only necessary for their survival but urgent for restoring agricultural activity in the region.
Local leaders are yet to issue an official statement on the matter, but residents say the situation is deteriorating quickly as farmers approach the January dry season with depleted food reserves.
