“In Kenya, the only good snake is a dead one…I am here to change the narrative”

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Home > Media > Blog > “In Kenya, the only good ...

Part 1

Valerie Odhiambo visited Atubwa Howard, a Kenyan conservationist and Research Fellow at the National Museums of Kenya. Through the MBZ Fund, Howard was supported to increase awareness of the Mt Kenya viper. Atubwa aims to use his knowledge of snakes to educate local community members about nonvenomous and venomous snakes around Mt. Kenya, where endangered Mt. Kenya bush vipers still cling to survival.

By Valerie Odhiambo

Not all animal species, whether endangered or not, are fortunate enough to be appreciated by humans. Often, those that get the short end of the stick are reptiles and amphibians. Despite their usefulness to humans, many of these animals are perceived as dangerous and are persecuted.

But for people like Atubwa Howard, who have had the chance to interact with them, the story is different.

“People fear snakes. There’s a saying: ‘The only good snake is a dead one.’ But with consistent engagement, showing people that these species can bring tangible benefits has shifted their mindset. In conservation, involving communities is key. Without them, no project can truly succeed,” he told us.

Atubwa Howard, a Research Fellow in the Herpetology Section at the National Museums of Kenya, didn’t fall in love with the field right away. Initially, he even considered rejecting the course he was admitted to—Wildlife Enterprise Management at Chuka University in Central Kenya. But his plans to switch were thwarted, and he acquiesced to the university’s decision to keep him in the program.

Ironically, it was this decision that sparked his passion. At Chuka University, Howard joined the Wildlife Club and eventually became its chairperson.

After graduating, reality set in. “I needed to earn a living,” he recalls. “So I stepped away from the conversation for a while. But something kept pulling me back.”

He applied for an attachment at the National Museum of Kenya and was placed in a section that housed both reptiles and amphibians. That’s where everything changed.

Then came a field trip—a chance to join researchers in the Dakatcha woodland organised by Kenya Herpetofauna Working Group, in, surveying amphibians and reptiles in the wild.

“That was the moment,” he says. “I have never looked back since that moment.”

Howord’s first encounter with conserving these animals came about with his work after receiving a grant from the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund (MBZ Fund) to study the Mount Kenya Bush Viper. The viper is characterized as a small, striking green snake with a limited range—found only in a few forest patches near Mount Kenya.

Mount Kenya Bush Viper

The main objectives of Howard’s study were to assess the species’ distribution, estimate its abundance, and engage local communities in conservation efforts.

“Locals had started capturing it to sell in the illegal pet trade. “They’d keep them in boxes waiting for buyers—sometimes for weeks, sometimes the snake die of hunger and stress. And they’d sell them for a few hundred shillings,” Howard says.

Howard tried a different approach. He met with the communities, especially the youth. He listened. And then he said: “You’re undervaluing this snake. If you keep catching and selling it, it’ll disappear—and so will any chance of long-term income.”

That shift in narrative worked. “We made it more expensive for traders to buy—and less worth the risk. At the same time, I helped connect community members with ecotourism opportunities. Now they’re earning by protecting the snake instead of capturing it. For instance, I connected a few tourists with the local youth, who acted as guides and earned at least 2,000 shillings per visitor. These young men, many from the community Forest Association and nearby communities, are now involved in local ecotourism, working as tour guides and earning a living while also protecting the species as its natural heritage.” he says.

The Mount Kenya Bush Viper is a shy species and typically not aggressive unless disturbed. Researchers have studied its distribution and population in two known habitats: Mount Kenya Forest, Chuka Forest Station and Ngaya Forest. Remarkably, this viper is found exclusively in Kenya

The Spawls’ Caecilian Boulengerula spawlsi, is an elongated wormlike limbless soil burrowing amphibian about 300 mm in body length. It is endemic to Ngaya forest in Meru county.

More answers on the ground

Snakes aren’t the only species Howard works with. He’s also one of the researchers in Kenya studying caecilians—a group of underground amphibians that resemble worms or snakes but are actually legless relatives of frogs.

“They live underground, so you rarely see them,” he explains. “But they’re extremely sensitive to soil quality. If the land is healthy, they’re there. If it’s polluted or over-farmed, they vanish.”

That makes them powerful bioindicators—species that reflect the health of their environment.

Howard is studying the Spawls’ caecilian, endemic to the Ngaya forest. Like the viper, it’s endemic and critically endangered. “I usually tell farmers that if they notice caecilians disappearing from their land, it might mean their soil is degrading. They need to take steps to improve soil fertility again.”

Howard is giving a lecture at a university on the importance of species conservation

Inspiring the next generation or herpetologists

For Howard, the hardest part isn’t the fieldwork. It’s invisibility.

“These animals don’t get headlines. No one’s raising millions to protect a worm-like amphibian,” he says. “But they matter. Every species has a role in the ecosystem.”

Working with a team of colleagues and as a member of the Kenya Herpetofauna Working Group, where he is the current chairperson, Howard organises field excursions, enlightens communities about lesser-known species, and trains young researchers and enthusiasts, hoping to build a generation that sees value in even the smallest creatures.

On social media, he regularly posts about his work and the species he is working on. Howard is also invited to schools to give talks, especially on days like World Snake Day.

Driving the point home, he tells them: “These animals form part of our natural heritage. If we lose them, we lose a unique part of our national identity and biodiversity.”

“In Kenya, the only good snake is a dead one…I am here to change the narrative”

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