A man narrowly escaped death after he was attacked by three elephants in Ndunyuruma village, Meru county, on Saturday.
Jotham Baariu, 43, was watering onions on his farm with a friend when the jumbos emerged from a nearby thicket in Kithima sublocation.
He spoke to the press at the Isiolo County Referral Hospital. His chest and legs were injured.
“We fled in different directions when we spotted the elephants but the jumbos kept following us. I hid in a bush but they could smell my presence," he said.
He said, "One of them grabbed and dragged me over 10 metres. I was even left naked."
Kithima assistant chief Paul Muriira said that for several years, the elephants have been troubling residents. KWS officers often drive them back to the reserves in Isiolo.
“They usually come back due to lack of pasture in the parks. This was the first time the jumbos have attacked a person in the village. Usually, they frequent the area and destroy farms,” Muriira said.
The administrator called on KFS to fast-track the process of compensating residents.
He said that Baariu was the sole breadwinner to his family, hence, the family will require urgent help since he will be unable to work for a while.
Edited by R.Wamochie
