Residents of Ol Kalou on Wednesday evening risked their health to feast on a hippo that was killed by KWS officers.
The animal strayed from Lake Ol Bolo and had been terrorising Kiyuu, Manyatta, Githunguri, Jua Kali, Kariamu and Kiganjo villagers.
The Kenya Wildlife Service came to their rescue. And soon after it was killed in Ndugire Dam, about 300 metres from J.M. Memorial Hospital, residents said it was time for sweet revenge. They slaughtered it and braved a downpour, scrambling for the meat with pangas, axes and knives. The dam was turned into a slaughterhouse, its dirty water notwithstanding.
Just recently, the National Environment Management Authority ordered the Ol Kalou town slaughterhouse closed over pollution, but butchers complained of being singled out even though effluent from the largest health facility in Nyandarua finds its way into the dam.
The state of the dam did not, however, deter residents from sharing the meat. Not even its offal or tripe was spared. “Today we have a great feast and we don’t care whether our ‘slaughterhouse’ is safe or not. Neither do we care about the suitability of the meat since it has not been inspected,” David Waweru said.
One Kimani said the hippo had caused great fear. Many children were afraid to go to school alone. Adults were no exception, as they, too, recoiled at the very thought of encountering the beast. It had destroyed farms, especially in Kiyuu near the dam. Wednesday was, therefore, a day to behold. “We’re very happy that it has been killed. The meat is in plenty,” Kimani said.
Mary Muthoni from Kiyuu said they had been locking themselves in their houses by 6pm. They could not go out past that time. They could not send their children to nearby shops at night.
"We have carried meat for them to celebrate so they believe it is dead and I can even send them to the shop as late as 7 pm," Muthoni said.
John Muigai, a boda-boda rider, said it was risky to ferry clients past Jua Kali estate at night because one would meet the hippo.
(Edited by F'Orieny)
