This archive report was first published on 17 May 2020.
On Saturday night, a 91-year-old woman in Kajire, Voi, lost her life to a rogue hyena that had strayed from Tsavo East National Park. The incident occurred as she prepared supper in her kitchen.
Her grandson, Justine Mbwangi, 37, responded to her calls for help and managed to cling onto the animal's neck while the other family members screamed for assistance. Neighbors who responded to the commotion hacked the animal to death before alerting the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) officials.
The village of Kajire is one of the many that borders the national park in the region. The old woman's body was moved to Moi County Referral Hospital morgue for postmortem, while KWS officials took away the hyena's body for further tests.
Ms. Caroline Mwalumbe, the deceased's daughter, explained that the hyena was earlier spotted at a watering trough but was mistaken for a calf due to the darkness. It was only after the attack that the family realized their mistake.
‘We ran inside the house and called the neighbors for help,’ she tearfully narrated. However, weakened by age, her mother was too weak to fight the animal.
The attack has sent shockwaves across the region, with villagers fearing more wild animals might be lurking in the bush that has thickened with the recent heavy rains.
Traditionally, the area is a flashpoint for conflict between residents and wildlife due to its proximity to the national park. It is also considered a migration corridor for elephants as they move from Tsavo East National Park to Tsavo West.
Sagalla Ward Member of County Assembly Godwin Kilele termed the incident as tragic and said KWS needed to take responsibility over the matter. He added that reports of conflicts were common in the area and KWS was not doing enough to shield the residents and their property from destruction by wild animals.
As reported in 2017, a woman in the same village was killed by a rogue elephant which attacked her outside her house at night. In April last year, a stray lion killed a 12-year-old girl in Maungu area in Voi.
‘We need KWS to recruit community scouts to be able to respond quickly and offer the much-needed help when such cases happen,’ said the ward representative.
By Wagema Mwangi
