This archive report was first published on 8 August 2019.
On Wednesday morning, Lawrence Otieno, a 30-year-old fisherman from Obambo Village in Kisumu County, failed to return home from a fishing mission in the crocodile-infested lake at Uhoma Beach in Siaya County.
His wife, Eunice Atieno, and other fishermen launched a search for him, finding his belongings at the shore of the lake, which raised an alarm to the locals to join in the search for the missing man.
According to the area assistant chief, Manase Osuru, the badly mauled body of Otieno was found about 100 metres from where his belongings were found.
Osuru stated, "We launched a search on Thursday morning after the deceased’s wife reported that her husband was missing after he had gone to fish."
Residents of the area called on the Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) to remove crocodiles from the lake, arguing that the reptiles do not benefit them.
"The KWS officers are based in Siaya and it becomes very difficult to reach when crocodiles and hippos attack. We are therefore requesting the government to relocate the station near the lake," said a resident.
On the same day, a 34-year-old man survived after he was attacked by a crocodile in Rarieda Sub-County, while a body of a 41-year-old man who went missing for four days was retrieved from River Yala in Bondo Sub-County.
