Residents stare at extreme poverty as monkeys sweep plantation in Murang’a

Farmers in Kiharu Murang’a County have decried massive destruction of crops in their farms by the velvet monkeys.

The farmers said the monkeys are eating everything on their way forcing them to incur huge losses.

Some of the farmers we spoke to said they are on the verge of giving up on farming as they barely harvest anything every time they plant.

Manyeki Kamau a resident from Konguini said he abandoned maize farming a couple of years ago after the animals ate everything on his farm.

“We till the land, buy seeds and inputs which cost us a lot of money but we get nothing in return,” he said.

Kamau said he opted to grow bracharia for animal feeds after realizing the monkeys don’t eat them but he had to buy food for his family.

He said most of the farmers here are frustrated because they cannot get any harvest despite the hard work they put in.

“The residents here have given up and if you look around many have abandoned their farms due to frustrations by the monkeys” added Kamau.

He said the Kenya Wildlife Service should put in measures to control the animals and save them the agony.

Eunice Gathoni, another frustrated farmer said she does not know what to grow on her farm anymore.

Gathoni said the monkeys eat the crops when they are very tender and even if she replants they still come back.

This she said has demoralized her and she urged the government to ensure the monkeys are taken back to the forest.

“I stopped farming one year ago because the monkeys would eat everything I grew in the farm” she added.