Kenyan president condemns killing of Joannah Stutchbury, who protested against building in Kiambu forest
A prominent environment activist has been shot dead near her home in Kenya, after receiving multiple death threats following her campaign against the development of wetlands in a national park.
Joannah Stutchbury, 67, was killed at 10pm local time on Thursday as she returned to her home on the outskirts of Nairobi. Friends said she had stopped her car to clear branches blocking her driveway when she was shot several times. Neighbours found her body in the car with the engine still running and valuables still in the vehicle, suggesting the attack was not a robbery.
Stutchbury had vocally opposed attempts by powerful local businessmen to build on the nearby Kiambu forest, and had received death threats in the past.
“It is really awful. The conservation fraternity is very shaken. It is devastating,” said Dr Paula Kahumbu, the CEO of WildlifeDirect, a conservation NGO.