Fishermen from Kirinyaga county who depend on River Sagana as a source of livelihood have decried a low catch due to many hippos in the river.
“Much as the river is infested with various dangerous animals , hippos are one of our greatest impediments in this business .We are at times forced to scamper for safety because they chase us away while fishing,” Samuel Kamau said.
The wild animals destroy fishing nets and other gadgets of the fishermen.
“We have witnessed small children being killed and others injured .We fear for our lives, our children and our livestock as the animals travel up to three kilometers from the river in search of food,” said.
“Some of us don’t know how to swim especially when we encounter them while in our canoes and that puts our lives at risk,” fisherman Joseph Ireri said.
The fishermen asked the government to protect their lives by relocating the animals or fencing them away from the river to restrict their movement into the villages.
They asked the county government to provide them with fishing gadgets as well as help them by setting up fish ponds.
