- Fredrick Kisera, the warden in charge of Kiambu county said that they have intensified the hunt for the hyenas by installing more traps across the villages.
- Kisera called on parents in the region to be extra cautious with their kids and ensure that they are at home when dusk sets in.
Image: HANDOUT
Grief has stricken Gwa Kigwi village in Juja, Kiambu county after hyenas mauled a 10-year-old boy to death.
Dennis Teya, a Grade 4 pupil was in the company of his friends when the marauding hyenas attacked them as they were heading home on Wednesday evening.
The attack occurred even as a team of 20 Kenya Wildlife Service officers was hunting down the killer animals in villages within Witeithie and Kalimoni wards, following persistent attacks that have left a trail of deaths.
The crackdown was ordered last month when the hyenas attacked and killed a woman in Nyacaba village as she headed to work early in the morning.
Before the killing of Joyce Wambui, the hounds had mauled to death a 9-year-old boy.
The killer animals according to the village elder Joseph Thiga dragged the boy to a nearby swamp where they feasted on him before being chased by the locals.
"The children were in a group heading home from a nearby camp when the hyenas attacked them. They scampered and ran to their homes but we later found out that one of them was missing. We initiated a search for the missing boy and discovered a trail of blood leading to the swamp where we found one huge hyena feasting on the boy," Thiga said.
The elder said that the boy had been devoured on his left side from head to toe.
He decried that the village is living in fear since the marauding canines have been roaming the area in the evenings and early in the morning.
"We are worried about our children's safety because the hyenas are roaming the village as early as 6 pm. They are not the normal hyenas, they are fearless and we suspect they are crossbreeds of hyenas and leopards," Thiga said.
Resident Agnes Muthoni said they are a worried lot, especially as the schools are near reopening since the kids leave for school early in the morning.
"We are pleading with the authorities to intensify the search for these wild animals before they finish our children," she said.
Fredrick Kisera, the warden in charge of Kiambu county said that they have intensified the hunt for the hyenas by installing more traps across the villages adding that so far they have managed to capture over 10 hyenas.
Kisera called on parents in the region to be extra cautious with their kids and ensure that they are at home when dusk sets in.
"I also urge residents to be moving in groups so that they can overcome hyena attacks. We are however working round the clock in partnership with officers from other departments to ensure that we rid the villages of these wild animals," Kisera said.
Area leaders led by MP George Koimburi and ward reps Geoffrey Mucheke (Kalimoni) and Mwibiri Ngugi (Witeithie) called for the deployment of more KWS officers to intensify the operation.
Koimburi also pleaded with the Ministry of Education to allow learners in the affected villages to attend schools at 8 am saying that the killer animals roam the villages even in the morning.
"We also want the quarry owners to fence and fill the ditches that have been the breeding and hiding places for these animals. We are tired of losing innocent children and residents to the jaws of these hyenas," Koimburi said.
MCA Mwibiri reiterated that the operation will be successful upon deployment of more workforce and collaboration with other relevant authorities adding that the villages are tired of burying their loved ones.
On his part, Mucheke who doubles as the Majority Leader at the Kiambu County Assembly noted that the Kiambu County Government will aid the family in burial preparations for their son.
"It's a sorrowful incident and a regrettable one. We will support the family and further help them get justice for their son. This should be the last death caused by a wild animal in this area," Mucheke said.