This archive report was first published on 12 September 2019.
September 12, 2019, marked a tragic event for the Njuguna family in Komo village, Thika. Joseph Njuguna, a family member, was killed by a hyena, leaving behind a trail of torn clothes.
Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) officers collected the deceased's head and took it to the government laboratory in Nairobi for postmortem analysis. However, the family has not seen the head since.
According to Fredrick Kahuha, Joseph's brother, the police asked them to keep the remains at home to avoid high mortuary charges, as the case was expected to take a long time.
"The then OCS advised that we keep the rest of the bones in our house to avoid high mortuary charges because the case would take a bit long," Kahuha recalled.
Despite their efforts to retrieve the remains, the family's requests to KWS have fallen on deaf ears. The family has been unable to give their loved one a befitting sendoff, causing immense distress.
"I have had sleepless nights since then, I don't sleep when I remember my son, especially when I see those remains," said Margaret Njeri, Joseph's mother.
The family's ordeal is not an isolated incident. Area residents have been complaining about increased attacks from wild animals, forcing children to be escorted to and from school.
Kenya Wildlife Services has warned Kenyans about the rise in human-wildlife conflict due to the dry spell displacing animals from their natural habitat.
When contacted, KWS headquarters claimed to be unaware of the case and asked the family to write to the Director General and follow up with a call.
Paul Udoto from KWS communications department assured that the matter will be resolved once the family writes an official letter to the agency, following the necessary protocol.
