Hippo crushes man to death
Residents of Bulla Baraka in Madogo, Tana River County are now living in fear after a 39-year-old man was killed by a stray hippo on Tuesday morning.
Osman Bonaya, a father of eight and a charcoal dealer from Bulla Baraka was heading to a site where he was preparing to burn charcoal along River Tana at around 6 am when he was attacked by the lone hippo.
A resident who was headed to the same area discovered the badly mutilated body lying lifeless at a nearby thicket and rushed back to inform the residents.
The deceased was alone at the time of the attack.
Police from Madogo police station accompanied by KWS warders from Garissa station immediately arrived at the scene and removed the body.
Addressing the press outside the Garissa Referral Hospital mortuary where the body was taken for postmortem, Madogo Chief Aaron Kunyo said that hippos and crocodiles are fleeing the swollen river Tana and roaming next to settlement areas.
Kunyo urged KWS to enhance patrols along the flooded sections of river Tana to keep off stray wild animals fleeing the floods.
“Most of the residents along River Tana eke their living by farming, burning charcoal and selling firewood among other activities. The floods on the hand are forcing wild animals out of the river to settlement areas,” Kunyo said.
“I am calling on KWS to increase their patrols especially early in the morning when the residents are going to eke a living and in the evening. This is to ensure the safety of our people,” he added.
Residents who spoke to press accused KWS of laxity and insensitiveness to the plight of area residents.
A villager, Mohamed Dadho said that a number of residents killed by wildlife in the area have not been compensated, with some dating back to over three years ago.
Dadho said that despite the area being prone to wildlife attacks, KWS has not bothered to open a patrol office in Madogo.
“Every time we have such an attack we have to travel to Garissa to report the incident. We cannot remove the body until KWS arrive and sometimes they take too long to arrive,” Dhado said.
“I am appealing to KWS to open an office in Madogo and post rangers to patrol the Tana River side especially during the times of floods and drought when such attacks are common,” he added.
The body of the deceased was released to the family for burial in accordance to Islamic rites at a Madogo cemetery after the postmortem.
