Nakuru: Villagers Gripped by Fear After 14-Year-Old Is Mauled to Death by Hyenas
- Residents of Sinendet village, Njoro, in Nakuru, are living in fear after a tragic wildlife attack that left a young boy dead
- The locals accused KWS of delayed response and failure to prevent growing hyena threats even in broad daylight
- Community members said they face unending losses, fear, and unfulfilled promises of compensation
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TUKO.co.ke journalist Harry Ivan Mboto has over three years of experience reporting on politics and current affairs in Kenya
A growing sense of fear is gripping residents of Sinendet village in Njoro, Nakuru county, as wildlife attacks escalate.
Source: UGC
The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) is now under scrutiny after the body of a missing 14-year-old boy was discovered mutilated, allegedly by hyenas, a week after he was reported missing.
Joseph Mwangi, a Grade Seven pupil, had gone missing under unclear circumstances. On Sunday, July 27, his remains were discovered in a maize plantation by a casual labourer working on a nearby farm.
His tattered clothes were found at the scene, along with body parts scattered around. The discovery sent shockwaves through the village and amplified long-standing concerns over the growing number of wildlife attacks.
Njoro residents decry increasing wildlife attacks
Residents claim the hyenas are coming from Lake Nakuru National Park, which borders the area, and have grown increasingly bold.
According to locals, the animals now attack livestock and even people during daylight hours.
Rachel Wariara, a resident of Sinendet, shared a chilling account of a second attack on a young child that happened even as villagers gathered to mourn Mwangi.
“He was attacked by a hyena while coming from the shop. He said it was an adult hyena, accompanied by two of its cubs,” she recounted. “The Kenya Wildlife Service officers only arrived after the child had already been rescued. What then did they come to do?”
The frequency and boldness of the attacks have left villagers anxious and angry. Parents are reluctant to send their children to school, and many now avoid venturing outdoors altogether.
The community has also suffered huge losses in livestock over the years.
Source: Youtube
Have Njoro wildlife attack victims been compensated?
Sinendet Location Chief, Lewwis Kiarahu, said over 100 domestic animals have been killed by wild animals in the past four years, yet no compensation has been received.
“They bring forms, I sign them confirming the incident happened in my location, and photos are taken as evidence,” said the chief. “But even after following all procedures, the promised compensation never comes.”
Wariara echoed the frustration, saying life has become unbearable.
“There is a lot of fear. You cannot even step out for a short call. You have to use a container indoors and dispose of it later. Our crops are ready in the fields, but we cannot harvest due to fear. The livestock and the farms are all we rely on to survive. We are suffering, yet we pay taxes,” she said.
The residents urged the government to take urgent action to control wildlife movement and protect lives.
Meanwhile, the area chief advised parents to release children for school only after 9 am and for school heads to dismiss learners early enough to allow them to get home safely before dusk.
How did five-year-old fall victim to hyenas in Juja?
In a related incident previously covered by TUKO.co.ke, residents of Juja, Kiambu, were left in shock after a five-year-old boy was killed by hyenas while walking home from a shop in the Witeithie-Nyacaba area.
The child, reportedly an only son, was attacked around 7 pm, making it the third deadly hyena incident in the region within a month.
The tragedy ignited anger among locals, who accused the government and KWS of ignoring repeated warnings about the growing hyena threat.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
