Kennedy Lemayian Leneuiyia
EducationMSc, 2020, University of Kent, Durrell Institute of Conservation Ecology (DICE)
B.S., 2017, Africa Nazarene University Curriculum VitaeClick here for cv
Current researchMy current research examines Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC) within rapidly changing socio-ecological systems in northern Kenya, where conflict has become a leading cause of elephant mortality and a growing conservation concern. Indigenous pastoralist communities, including the Samburu and Maasai, have long maintained close relationships with land, livestock, and wildlife, but these ties are being reshaped by climate-driven resource scarcity, land-use change, and wider social and economic transformations, with major implications for coexistence with elephants. Grounded in the Samburu–Laikipia ecosystem, where conflict-related elephant deaths and changing land-use and tenure systems are intensifying, my work integrates social science, spatial ecology, and ethnographic methods to better understand the drivers of HEC. I combine field-based surveys to identify socio-economic predictors of conflict with spatial and ecological modelling to assess how landscape features, climate variability, and elephant movements shape when and where conflict occurs, and how these patterns may shift under extreme climate scenarios. In parallel, ethnographic research explores how the meaning and category of “elephant” is socially constructed across Samburu age-sets, tracing its temporal shifts, contested negotiations, and influence on conflict-coexistence dynamics. By linking social change, ecological processes, and lived experience, my research aims to deepen socio-ecological understanding of conflict and inform evidence-based strategies to reduce conflict and address rising elephant mortality in formerly pastoral commons that are now contested landscapes.
Previous ResearchMy previous research, conducted primarily in collaboration with the Save the Elephants organization, spans field ecology, community engagement, education evaluation, and conflict mitigation. My undergraduate research examined Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC) in peri-urban settings such as Archer’s Post in northern Kenya, documenting how elephants increasingly entered towns to raid crops and damage property during periods of drought. Through social surveys and elephant tracking, this work highlighted how climate stress and food scarcity drive elephants into human-dominated spaces, intensifying conflict at the wildlife–urban interface. My MSc at the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), University of Kent, under the supervision of Prof. Robert Smith, looked at the spatial and temporal patterns of HEC across the Samburu–Laikipia pastoral landscapes. This research showed that social transformations, particularly sedentarization, shifts from pastoralism to agro-pastoralism, privatization of pastoral commons, and climate variability, are key drivers of conflict dynamics and increasing elephant mortalities in shared rangelands. In parallel, I have evaluated the effectiveness of conservation education and outreach initiatives, including the use of theatre and the award-winning documentary film The Elephant Queen, demonstrating their potential to improve attitudes and tolerance toward elephants in high-conflict communities. My applied research has also tested mitigation strategies, including field trials of non-palatable crops and beehive fences to deter crop-raiding elephants. In summary, my work bridges science, education, and practice to inform more socially grounded conservation approaches
A reticulated giraffe feeding on acacia in Namunyak Wildlife Conservancy.
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ContactEmail: [email protected]
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kennedy-lemayian-649a77251 Mailing Address: Yale University School of the Environment 195 Prospect Street New Haven, CT 06511 USA 
A collared elephant with her calf in Samburu National Reserve, showing maternal care. (Photo: Lucy King)
An elephant collaring operation in Tsavo East National Park, where water is poured to keep the animal cool, supports movement monitoring and landscape planning. (Photo: Naiya Raja)
An elephant lying down is carefully supported and repositioned for treatment and collaring. (Photo: Naiya Raja)
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Publications
Kennedy L Leneuiyia, Robert J Smith, Juliet M King, Christopher Thouless, Harry F Williams, George Wittemyer, Paul Kokiro, Purity Milgo, Giacomo D’Ammando (2025). Transition and conflict: patterns and drivers of human–elephant conflict in a changing pastoral landscape of northern Kenya. Pachyderm, 66, pp.85-100 https://pachydermjournal.org/index.php/pachyderm/article/view/1331/1326
Sophia L. Weinmann, Kennedy L. Leneuiyia, L. King, Jill M. Belsky (2025). Assessing crop palatability as a tool to mitigate elephant crop raiding: trade-offs and strategies for subsistence farmers in Lower Sagalla, Kenya. Pachyderm, 66, pp.128-141 https://pachydermjournal.org/index.php/pachyderm/article/view/1325/1329
L. King., Tiller, L, Mwambingu E., Nzumu., Serem E., Mugo., G., Raja N., Brennan E., Wanjala, D., Ndombi, V., Leneuyia L. Kennedy, Williams, H., Lala, F., Pope, F., Douglas-Hamilton (2023) Impact of drought and development on the effectiveness of beehive fences as elephant deterrents over nine years in Kenya. Journal of Conservation Practice https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.13242
Williams, H. F., Leneuyia, K., Mwalavu, B., Serem, G., Sempeyo, V., L King., Pope, F., Veríssimo, D. (2024). The Elephant Queen: can a nature documentary help mitigate human-elephant conflict? Journal People and Nature: https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10599
Georgi Hoare., Lemayian L. Kennedy., Peter H., (2022). Wildlife and Indigenous Communities in Kenya: The influence of conservation education in supporting co-existence between wildlife and a Maasai community. Southern African Journal of Environmental Education, 38(1): https://www.ajol.info/index.php/sajee/article/view/224750
Williams, H. Lemayian L. Kennedy., Mwalavu, B., Serem, G., Sempeyo, V., L King., Pope, F. (2022) ‘Part II: Using cinema, theatre and a virtual toolbox to address the conflict between humans and elephants’, Pachyderm, 63, pp. 158–164. https://pachydermjournal.org/index.php/pachyderm/article/view/487
Sophia L. Weinmann, Kennedy L. Leneuiyia, L. King, Jill M. Belsky (2025). Assessing crop palatability as a tool to mitigate elephant crop raiding: trade-offs and strategies for subsistence farmers in Lower Sagalla, Kenya. Pachyderm, 66, pp.128-141 https://pachydermjournal.org/index.php/pachyderm/article/view/1325/1329
L. King., Tiller, L, Mwambingu E., Nzumu., Serem E., Mugo., G., Raja N., Brennan E., Wanjala, D., Ndombi, V., Leneuyia L. Kennedy, Williams, H., Lala, F., Pope, F., Douglas-Hamilton (2023) Impact of drought and development on the effectiveness of beehive fences as elephant deterrents over nine years in Kenya. Journal of Conservation Practice https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.13242
Williams, H. F., Leneuyia, K., Mwalavu, B., Serem, G., Sempeyo, V., L King., Pope, F., Veríssimo, D. (2024). The Elephant Queen: can a nature documentary help mitigate human-elephant conflict? Journal People and Nature: https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10599
Georgi Hoare., Lemayian L. Kennedy., Peter H., (2022). Wildlife and Indigenous Communities in Kenya: The influence of conservation education in supporting co-existence between wildlife and a Maasai community. Southern African Journal of Environmental Education, 38(1): https://www.ajol.info/index.php/sajee/article/view/224750
Williams, H. Lemayian L. Kennedy., Mwalavu, B., Serem, G., Sempeyo, V., L King., Pope, F. (2022) ‘Part II: Using cinema, theatre and a virtual toolbox to address the conflict between humans and elephants’, Pachyderm, 63, pp. 158–164. https://pachydermjournal.org/index.php/pachyderm/article/view/487
