Murang’a county government has supplied farmers with free monkey traps to rid their farms of the animals that wreak havoc in their farms.
Farmers have for years been complaining that the monkeys have been destroying their crops and causing them minimal harvests.
The farmers are now trapping the monkeys and returning them to the Aberdare ranges with the help of the county government.
The primates roam freely in many areas of the county and have been reported to harass women and children especially in Murang’a town.
Three years ago, a resident of Murang’a town was hospitalized for days after she was bitten by a monkey as she was walking from Kiharu estate to Murang’a town.
The exercise has however elicited a strong debate amongst locals with some critising the move by the county government to distribute the traps while others defend it as a critical move that will save the county from perennial food shortage.
On Monday and Tuesday this week, farmers in Gattnaga were able to catch over 100 monkeys and transport them to the Aberdare.
The farmers have received more than 300 traps to help in the exercise with thousands of monkeys still roaming in their farms.
Governor Mwangi wa Iria had early in the year pledged to help farmers deal with the menace after monkeys destroyed previous harvest and causing acute shortage of food.
“These monkeys have reduced us to beggars to the extent of asking for relief food yet we are hardworking people,” a farmer, Paul Ndung’u said.
Ndungu said had become hopeless and were being tempted not to till their farms because of the massive destruction caused by monkeys.
Ndung’u also noted that the population of the primates has drastically increased as they continue to reproduce in their farms.
“They feast on our maize, vegetables, avocados, mangoes and any other food crop they find in a farm. They even get into our houses and steal our food,” the farmer said.
Gatanga sub county administrator George Murimi said the traps are being distributed in all sub counties that are affected by the monkeys menace.
Murimi said the government is helping farmers to control the animals as they are a threat to food security in the county.
The administrator noted that the county government has been issuing free seeds and manure to help locals sustain themselves food wise and that the primates cannot be allowed to continue destroying foodstuffs.
Anastasia Muure, another farmer said women are now living in fear of their lives due to constant attacks by the monkeys in farms and are forced to seek the company of men.
Locals also accused the Kenya Wildlife Service of failing to take action to control the monkeys and allowing them to continue destroying their farms.