Representing Kenya; Lesas Lenamunyi Nominated as Field Ranger Finalist in the 2020 Rhino Conservation Awards
NOMINATED: Losas Lenamunyi.
Once caught up in cycles of conflict and livestock theft, Lesas is now Commander of a rapid response ranger team - charged with protecting critically endangered black rhino and the communities that live alongside them. Lesas’ hard work and dedication have now been recognised internationally, as he has been shortlisted as a finalist in the 2020 Rhino Conservation Awards. Winners will be announced in a virtual ceremony on World Ranger Day, Friday 31st July 2020.
Early 2016, 15 young men made plans to go on a-16-day livestock raiding mission almost 150 kilometres away. This was not unusual. Livestock theft between different ethnic groups has been a complex and challenging part of northern Kenya’s history for generations.
Sharing stories of bravery and success, the group catalysed confidence amongst themselves. So the ambush on the third day of their mission caught all of them off-guard. Their plan had leaked.
One of the group was Lesas Lenamunyi. For him, the day of the ambush changed everything.
Lesas escaped with his life, but three of his age-mates sustained serious injuries. Carrying an wounded friend on his back through thick bush, Losas made a promise to himself. Enough was enough.
“I realized that it was time for me to lead a different kind of life.” — Lesas.
Lesas is the last born in a family of five siblings from Archers Post, Samburu County. While he wanted to continue his education, he tragically lost both his father and his brother at the age of 14 – leaving him looking after the family’s livestock – as good as his family’s entire bank account.
Charged with herding cattle across the arid and semi-arid grasslands of northern Kenya – Lesas knew only one way to protect himself from the rampant insecurity he witnessed around him. Illegal firearms, stock theft, inter-tribal conflict, retaliatory attacks - they were all commonplace in his world, and there was a ‘meet fire with fire’ mindset amongst his peers.
Shortly after the incident in 2016, Lesas heard that Sera Community Conservancy, close to where he had grown up, were recruiting rangers. Seeing an opportunity to escape cycles of conflict, help others do the same, and earn an honest living, he applied. His interaction with wildlife as a young boy herding livestock in the bush had ignited his passion for wildlife, and for this first time he saw a way to earn a living from that passion, and work to prevent other young men from going down the path he did. Losas got the job, and a specialised mobile security team.
The NRT mobile security teams (of which there are now eight), work closely with community conservancy rangers, the Kenya Police and the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) to provide rapid response support focusing specifically on anti-poaching, road banditry and livestock theft.
As with all new ranger recruits, Lesas trained at the Kenya Wildlife Service Law Enforcement Academy- Manyani, where he was awarded best all-round trainee due to his professionalism, honesty and hard work.
He is attached to the team that covers the Sera Rhino Sanctuary - the first and the only community-run sanctuary in East Africa that provides a space for endangered black rhinos. Lesas’s team also oversees the protection of over 7,000 elephants and other wildlife species in the landscape. Sera Rhino Sanctuary has seen zero poaching incidents since its inception in 2015, a significant achievement against poaching rates elsewhere on the continent. It’s a success story that Lesas and his team are rightly very proud of.
Lesas says working with a multi-ethnic team of 14 rangers has given him a sense of brotherhood. Historically, he would have been wary of the ethnic groups he now breaks bread with at the ranger camp, but their diversity is one of their greatest strengths – especially when talking to community members. During their free time, Lesas and his team unite and speak to communities in villages across the landscape on the importance of peace and wildlife conservation, using themselves as examples of responsibility and change.
“If someone had told me years ago that I would be doing this job (as ranger), I would have laughed at them. I would never have imagined that I would be on the other side, not only in protecting wildlife but also creating awareness to morans about the dangers of being on the wrong side of the law.” — Lesas.
Fast forward to 2020, Lesas has risen from the ranks of a ranger to the Team Commander, having pursued professional development in tactical and leadership training.
His hard work and dedication has now been recognised internationally; Lesas has been nominated as a Best Field Ranger Finalist in the 2020 Rhino Conservation Awards. He is the only Kenyan finalist. The winners will be announced in virtual ceremony on World Ranger Day, Friday 31st July 2020.
But, he says, there is still a long way to go.
“I feel frustrated sometimes because of losing wildlife to human-wildlife conflict, more so due to the presence of illegal firearms in the region,” he says. “We are no longer losing rhinos and elephants to poachers but to human wildlife conflict which needs more intervention measures.”
Lesas is now a father of four (two daughters and two sons) and says wildlife protection has given him a job and a chance to provide for his family and ensure his children can access higher education – a chance he never got.
“Wildlife conservation means education to my children, food on the table, good life for my family, peace and security for our communities. As Commander, I want to be remembered as one of the contributors to the success of anti-poaching of wildlife in Northern Kenya.” — Lesas.
Building peace and security in northern Kenya is a collaborative effort between so many people and organisations - the communities, conservancy management teams, rangers and rapid response units work closely with Kenya Police, Kenya Wildlife Service, County Government and other authorities. Their work is supported through the conservancies by USAID, The Nature Conservancy, DANIDA, the European Union, the Tusk Trust, International Elephant Foundation, March To The Top, For Rangers, Conservation International, San Diego Zoo Global, AFD, FFEM, SIDA, Fauna & Flora International, and many more. They also receive technical support from Lewa Wildlife Conservancy and Vulcan.