• KWS says there are about 700 hippos in Lake Naivasha but experts say the number could be higher.
• Like other Rift lakes, Naivasha is overflowing. Wildlife corridors have been blocked and hippos expand grazing area. Many 'foot fishermen' attacked.
Fishermen and residents around Lake Naivasha are up in arms over the increase in attacks by hippos in the last few months.
Attacks are attributed to closure of wildlife corridors and flooding of the lake, forcing hippos to graze closer to human habitat. KWS says encroachment on the animals' habitat is to blame.
Fishermen say almost 20 people have been killed in the last two years and tens of others maimed.
Most victims are 'foot-fishermen' who wade into the lake with nets.
KWS says the number of attacks has actually decreased.
John Kamau from Kasarani estate in North Lake said he narrowly escaped death in Januar 2019 but was left on crutches.
“I was working on the shores of the lake when the hippo out of nowhere attacked, crushing my legs and hands. I was saved by a fisherman with a boat," he said.
Kimani said efforts to get compensation from KWS have been fruitless and he has suffered greatly seeking treatment.
“The government has refused to assist the many victims of hippo attacks and this has led to more suffering for us and our families,” he said.
The Kenya Wildlife Service says it won't compensate those who were attacked while in the lake illegally, many of them fishing.
Another victim, Samson Okoilel, lost a knee cap and one buttock to a hippo.
He said despite getting all the required documentation, KWS won't compensate him and he has had to rely on friends and relatives.
“I was in hospital for four months and later referred for specialised treatment. I cannot afford this and have been reduced to a beggar, yet I was fit and supporting my family," Okoilel said.
A trader at Karagita landing beach, John Mwangi, blamed the increasing attacks on the closure of wildlife corridors on riparian land, pushing animals into human settlements.
“We are worried by the rising cases of hippo attacks around the lake and this can only be resolved by opening up the riparian land,” he said.
But KWS assistant director in charge of South Rift Dickson Ritan said cases have actually declined this year, compared to last year.
Speaking to the Star by phone, he said when lake levels rose in 2020, grazing land for hippos was reduced, pushing them into nearby estates.
“We have conducted sensitisation meetings among the fishermen. Most attack victims are illegal fishermen, commonly known as foot fishermen," he said.
(Edited by V. Graham)