KAJIADO, Kenya – Kajiado Governor Joseph Ole Lenku has rejected Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) claims that cyanide was responsible for the deaths of 20 elephants in the Amboseli ecosystem, saying researchers have pointed to a different possible cause.
Lenku described the cyanide explanation as “completely misplaced” and “false”, arguing that information from researchers with decades of experience studying Amboseli elephants suggested the animals may have died after consuming excessive amounts of “murua” grass.
“We are very saddened that we have had to lose very many of them in the last few months. Of course, you saw KWS bringing a story of cyanide, which is a completely misplaced story. The story is false. Completely false,” Lenku said.
He spoke during an interview with Citizen TV on Sunday, September 13, 2026.
Lenku: Cyanide claim does not add up
The governor questioned the claim that cyanide had been used by farmers and subsequently killed the elephants.
He said information from the pest-control sector indicated that cyanide was not available in Kenya, raising questions about how the chemical could have been used in the Amboseli area.
Lenku also defended tomato farmers in Kajiado against suggestions that chemicals used in horticultural farming may have contributed to the deaths.
He said horticulture had been practised in the county for generations and questioned why farming chemicals should suddenly be blamed for the deaths.
The governor pointed to livestock that live around the farms as another reason to question the theory.
He said goats frequently enter farms after harvesting yet do not appear to suffer similar effects from the agricultural chemicals.
Researchers point to ‘murua’ grass
Lenku cited two researchers he said have extensive knowledge of elephants in the Amboseli ecosystem.
He named Dr David Western, whom he said has studied Amboseli since 1967, and Dr Cynthia Moss of the Amboseli Trust for Elephants, who he said began studying elephants in the area in 1972.
According to Lenku, the researchers did not believe cyanide was responsible for the deaths.
Instead, he said they had pointed to “murua”, a type of grass that had grown excessively after unusually heavy rains.
Lenku said similar cases had been observed among livestock, where animals consuming certain vegetation could sometimes die suddenly in large numbers.
The governor’s account, however, represents his explanation of the deaths and contrasts with the earlier account attributed to KWS.
Lenku accuses KWS of misleading Kenyans
Lenku criticised KWS for what he described as misleading information about the deaths.
He argued that the wildlife agency does not manage the entire Amboseli ecosystem, saying KWS operates within only a small portion of the wider wildlife area.
“KWS operates in 10 to 15 per cent of the ecosystem,” Lenku said.
He put the size of Amboseli National Park at about 82,000 acres, while noting that the wider ecosystem extends considerably beyond the park’s boundaries.
The governor said wildlife conservation should therefore take into account the wider ecosystem and not just the national park.
Kajiado allocates land for wildlife dispersal
Lenku also highlighted the need for additional land to support wildlife movement in the ecosystem.
He said his community had recently allocated about one million acres for the creation of a wildlife dispersal area.
He argued that protecting wildlife required closer cooperation between communities, researchers and conservation authorities.
Lenku called for the elephant deaths to be investigated using evidence from researchers with long-term experience in the Amboseli ecosystem.
“It was wrong for KWS to mislead the country and say cyanide is what killed the elephants. It is not. It is that murua grass that had killed the elephants,” he said.
Lenku said he hoped no more elephants would die, describing the deaths as a major concern for his administration and residents of Kajiado.
