Update: Italian-born conservationist shot and wounded in Kenya

Armed cattle herders shot and wounded renowned Italian-born conservationist and author Kuki Gallman in the drought-stricken Laikipia region of northwest Kenya on Saturday evening.

Divisional police commander Ezekiel Chepkwony confirmed the attack on Sunday, saying that Gallman, who owns Laikipia Nature Conservancy, was shot in the stomach by armed Pokot raiders.

Chepkwony said the conservationist, who was shot while patrolling the ranch, was airlifted to Nairobi for treatment.

The latest incident came despite the deployment of Kenya Defence Forces soldiers to flush out bandits and seize illegal guns used in raids.

Gallmann is best known internationally for her memoir, I Dreamed of Africa.

Her ranch is home to the largest concentrations of wildlife in the Laikipia ecosystem. The ranch is one of the biggest in the county.

Reports say the Laikipia area is increasingly becoming a conflict zone as people and wildlife are killed with impunity, livestock stolen, houses razed and property looted.

Armed herders from the Pokot, Maasai and Samburu communities have in the past reportedly attacked some of the white-owned ranches in Laikipia, threatening not just farming but the future of wildlife conservation in Kenya. Endit