Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua Saturday announced that the government will track down and capture hyenas that have been mauling people and causing anxiety in Kiambu County’s Juja estates.
Gachagua said the government will send a team of security personnel including those from Kenya Wildlife Service to the area to drive out the wild animals and address the threat in light of increased attacks.
He blamed the increase in hyena attacks in Juja on abandoned quarries, which could be used as hiding places for the hyenas before attacking the residents.
He spoke at Paul Wetosi’s wedding to Jacinta Wanjiru, daughter of Juja MP George Koimburi, on the grounds of Juja Preparatory School.
“We have gathered from KWS Director-General that the problem of hyenas in Juja is also the abandoned quarry sites. The death incidents are worrisome.”
“We are sending a team to capture the hyenas and relocate them so that they do not become a menace. The quarries are also a security threat and can be breeding area for mosquitoes,” said Gachagua.
He was responding to Juja MP George Koimburi’s call for the government to intervene after a 52-year-old woman was mauled to death by a hyena recently.
The legislator said that in the past five months, the wild animals have killed several people, including children
Gachagua also asked the residents to be vigilant and support the Government’s fight against illicit brews and drugs and substance abuse.
Early this year, a 10-year-old Dennis Teya was mauled to death by hyenas in the neighbouring Gwa Kigwi village.
Locals said they are worried about the safety of their children once schools reopen in two weeks.
They said failure by quarry miners to refill excavated areas and clear bushes has attracted wild animals that stray from nearby national parks.
They said quarries provide safe breeding and hiding abodes for the hyenas.
Most of the affected areas in Juja South are Nyacaba, Witeithia, Maraba and Kabati in Juja, Kiambu County. Early this year, KWS said that it has so far trans-located 12 hyenas from Juja, in efforts to mitigate the human-animal conflict in the area. In a statement,
Such attacks are common in the area amid calls for KWS to take action and manage the same.
This is part of the wildlife-human conflict that is common in places near national parks.
Many wild animals stray from major parks to villages.
KWS has mounted a campaign to address the menace, which includes fencing the areas.
The government and conservation groups have a compensation program for people and herders whose livestock is killed by wild animals.
Officials said the loss of habitat and climate change threatened the number of wild animals the wild and that their future looked “bleak”.
The officials say policies aimed at enabling communities to co-exist with wildlife were vital.
