Grief engulfed Kajire village in Voi, Taita Taveta county on Saturday night after a stray hyena mauled an 80-year-old woman to death.
Alfred Kilonzo, a neighbour, said Christine Mwalumba was in her kitchen at 7.30pm when she was attacked.
“She was severely injured in the head, lower jaw and on her back and died on the spot,” Kilonzo said.
Her grandchildren, who were playing outside the house, however, escaped unhurt after they ran for safety after seeing the rogue animal.
Kilonzo said the marauding wild animal also attacked a man who had dashed to the home to help after hearing the granny's cries.
He suffered several bites on his hands and legs. He is fighting for his life at Moi County Referral Hospital in Voi.
Residents who responded to the incident killed the hyena.
The animal is believed to have strayed from the sprawling Tsavo National Park.
Officers from Kenya Wildlife Service visited the area and moved the body to Moi County Referral morgue.
Antony Mwasia, a resident, asked KWS to send a team of rangers to drive back to the park all stray animals in the area.
He said apart from hyenas, the area has suffered great loss from rampant elephant attacks that destroy their crops.
“KWS has totally neglected its duty. It is their responsibility to take care of wild animals and ensure they do not come out of the conservancies,” he said.
He further appealed for the agency to swiftly compensate the family for the loss of the woman.
Perennial human-wildlife conflict cases in Taita Taveta county, which hosts Kenya’s biggest wildlife conservancy, have been on the rise resulting in deaths, loss of property and injuries.
Last year, an 11-year-old girl was attacked and killed by a lion in Marungu village a few kilometers from the area.
Two people were seriously injured.
Edited by EKibii
