UJames Christian ukhumbula ngobusuku beminyaka embalwa edluleyo xa yena nomfazi wakhe bathabatha iarhente yokuhamba yaseSkotlani bamisa inkampu kumhlaba wabo kwiThafa laseLaikipia laseKenya. Njengoko babehleli phantsi kwesibhakabhaka saseAfrika esizaliswe ziinkwenkwezi, induli ejongene nabo ngequbuliso yatsho izithonga zompu nezithonga ezivakalayo. "Umlilo obomvu wavuleka, kwaye kwabakho olu gqabhuko-dubulo lukhulu - konke oku kwakuchasene nathi sonwabela amava ethu asentlango yaseAfrika," utshilo uChristian.
Ingingqi yaseKenya yaseLaikipia, ekumantla eNairobi kufuphi neNtaba yaseKenya, iyaziwa ngeendawo zayo ezivulekileyo, iinduli kunye nemozulu-kushushu emini kwaye kupholile ebusuku. Likhaya kubanini-mhlaba abaninzi - abanye babo bathatha amaqashiso abo ngaphambi kokuba iKenya ifumane inkululeko kwiBritane ngo-1963 - kunye nezona zilwanyana zaseAfrika zaseAfrika: iingonyama, amahlosi kunye neendlovu. Oku, kunye nenyaniso yokuba akukho sisifo seengcongconi, yenza iLaikipia ibe yindawo edumileyo kubakhenkethi abajonge ukuphuma kwindlela ebethathiweyo. Nangona kunjalo ubuze bukwabhenela kumkhosi waseBritane, osele uneminyaka uqeqesha kulo mmandla.
ILaikipia ngoku izifumana ibambeke kwipolitiki yokufudumala okude. Njengoko iBritane inyusa amajoni ayo e-Afghanistan (amanani apho aphindeke kabini ukuya kutsho malunga ne-10,000 kule minyaka mithathu idlulileyo), iye yaluqinisa uqeqesho lwayo eKenya, ngamajoni angaphezu kwama-3,000 adlula kulo mmandla nyaka ngamnye. Umkhosi uthi iLaikipia mhlawumbi yeyona ndawo ilungileyo yoqeqesho kuba iimeko zalapho - ukuphakama okuphezulu, ubushushu obugqithisileyo, indawo enenduli - ifana ngokumangalisayo nezo zifumaneka e-Afghanistan.
Abemi balapha bajongana nombuzo onzima ngexesha apho ukudodobala kwezoqoqosho kunye nokuwohloka kwemarike yokuthengisa iinkomo kuye kwabathwaxa abahlali nzima: Bangaqhubeka njani noxinzelelo lwabo lweminyaka elishumi lokuthengisa le ndawo njengendawo yezilwanyana zasendle ngelixa besamkela iimfuno zomkhosi waseBritane. ? Abahlali bazama ukulungelelanisa zombini iimfuno. “Inqanaba loqeqesho langoku liphezulu. Ayizange iphakame ngolu hlobo,” utsho uAnthony King, umalathisi oyintloko weLaikipia Wildlife Forum, iqela lolondolozo lwendalo. “Ngokucacileyo, uqeqesho lomkhosi kunye nokunye ukusetyenziswa komhlaba [njengokhenketho lwezilwanyana zasendle] akunakusoloko kuhambelana. Ngokuqinisekileyo kukho abantu abatyale imali eninzi kukhenketho abaxhalabileyo malunga nomfanekiso [wengingqi]. Kodwa ukuba ilawulwa kakuhle, akuyomfuneko ukuba umkhosi ube sisisongelo kwizilwanyana zasendle.”
Eyaziwa ngokuba yi-Operation Grand Prix, uqeqesho lunokuba lukhulu, lubandakanya amakhulukhulu emikhosi, iihelikopta, kunye nodaka oluphilayo kunye nompu ophilayo. Umkhosi uthi le yeyona nto ikufutshane amajoni aza kufikelela kumlo wokwenene ngaphambi kokuba athunyelwe e-Afghanistan. Amajoni aziqeqesha ngokwawo kwaye ecaleni komkhosi waseKenya, ngamanye amaxesha nabemi balapha bedlala indima yabaqhankqalazi okanye izihlwele ezingaphumliyo. Ukukhawulelana nokunyuka kwamajoni, umkhosi sele uqalisile ukurenta umhlaba kubahlali - usuke wajongana nabanini-mhlaba abathathu kwiminyaka embalwa edlulileyo ukuya kwesixhenxe ngoku. Nomkhosi okanye iifama azizukuchaza ukuba yimalini etshintshileyo izandla, kodwa kukholelwa ukuba ikwizigidi zeedola.
Ubukho bomkhosi eKenya khange bube nazingxaki, nangona kunjalo. Ngowama-2002 urhulumente waseBritani wahlawula malunga nezigidi ezi-7 zeerandi ukuze ahlawule abantu abangama-233 abonzakeleyo okanye ababulawa zizalamane zabo ngenxa yolwaphulo-mthetho kuloo mmandla. Amajoni aseBritani ayetyholwa ngokudlwengula amabhinqa asekuhlaleni amalunga nama-2,000 2006 kule minyaka ingamashumi amabini, kodwa ngo-XNUMX uphando lomkhosi lwafumanisa ukuba akukho bungqina baneleyo bokuzisa amabango enkundleni.
“Asizinyanzeli kwezi ndawo zeefama. Silapho kuba abantu bayasibuza ukuba singathanda na ukuqeqesha apho,” utshilo uColonel Neil Hutton, intloko yenkqubo yoqeqesho yaseBritane eKenya. “Njengoko kuvelayo, yinto elungileyo kuye wonke umntu. Asizi kunkqonkqoza ezicangweni zabo, sibangcungcuthekisa. Lubudlelwane obuninzi. ”
Kodwa ngamajoni amaninzi esiya kulo mmandla waseKenya minyaka le, kusaza kubonakala ukuba ishishini lokhenketho kunye nezilwanyana zasendle ziya kuqala ukuhlupheka. Xa kusenziwa umthambo, kuvakala izithonga zompu kangangeekhilomitha ezininzi. Ngo-2006 imikhosi yaseBritani eyayikwipatroli yalahleka yaza yadubula yabulala umkhombe omhlophe owawusoyikisa. Abanini-mhlaba baqhankqalaza xa umkhosi wasebenzisa inqwelo-ntaka ukucima udederhu lweendlovu nezinye izilwanyana.
Kodwa umkhosi usebenze ngempumelelo ngakumbi nabahlali kwiminyaka yakutshanje ukunciphisa ifuthe lawo kwindawo eyingqongileyo. Kwi-Mpala Ranch, apho umkhosi wenza khona uqeqesho, amagosa avumile ukuhambisa umthambo wawo kwindawo engabambisani nabanini-mhlaba abaqhuba amashishini okhenketho. IZiko loPhando lweMpala, isikhululo esizimeleyo sophando lwezesayensi eLaikipia, sele siqalise isifundo sokulinganisa imiphumo yoqeqesho kwizilwanyana zasendle. (Umkhosi umi ngelithi akukhange kubekho ziphazamiso zinzulu kwizilwanyana ukusukela oko wakhulisa inkqubo yawo yoqeqesho.) Kwaye ngo-2011, umkhosi uthi, awusayi kuphinda uqhube uqeqesho olukhulu ngexesha lencopho yabakhenkethi.
"Umkhosi wase-Bhritane unxibelelana nabantu basekhaya ngokungqongqo ... kwaye ulumkile ukunciphisa nayiphi na imiphumo emibi evela kubukho babo," utshilo isithethi somkhosi eLondon. “Ukugcina imeko-bume yendawo yeyona nto iphambili. Ukongeza, siye saxhasa uqoqosho lwasekhaya kunye neziseko zophuhliso ngokuxhasa ngemali izikolo ezitsha nangokuqesha abasebenzi basekuhlaleni.”
Ewe, abanye abantu balapha bonwabile ngobukho bomkhosi - kunye nokungena kwemali kuluntu lwasekhaya. “Ngokubona kwam, ilungile kuqoqosho. Unabantu abali-1,000 apha nangaliphi na ixesha,” utsho uJamie Roberts, oqhuba inkampani yokuqasha umoya iTropic Air kwaye ngamaxesha athile asebenze nomkhosi.
UKristu, naye, sele eqalile ukuza. “Ngokuqinisekileyo izinto ziye zaba ngcono kakhulu,” utshilo. "Umkhosi wase-Bhritane uye wanobuntununtunu ngakumbi ekuqondeni ukuba ukhenketho luhlobo oluchukumisayo xa kufikwa kuqhushumbo olukhulu."
INTO ONOKUYITHATHA KWELI NQAKU:
- As Britain increases its troop levels in Afghanistan (numbers there have doubled to about 10,000 in the past three years), it has ramped up its training exercises in Kenya, with more than 3,000 soldiers passing through the region each year.
- To accommodate the increase in troops, the army has begun renting land from residents — it went from dealing with three landowners a few years ago to seven now.
- But with more soldiers heading to this part of Kenya every year, it remains to be seen whether the tourism industry and the wildlife will begin to suffer.
