Rotting hippo sparks health fears in Murang’a
By K24 Digital Reporter, September 26, 2025Residents of Kangangu in Makuyu, lower Murang’a, are living in fear of contracting water-borne diseases due to a rotting hippo that died in the river in the area more than a month now.
Speaking to K24 Digital on Friday, September 26, 2025, residents said this is the only source of water in the area, and they are forced to draw water from it despite being aware of the health risk that they are putting themselves into.
Some residents said they have been to the hospital after developing diarrhoea and vomiting believed had been triggered by the consumption of the water.
Hannah Wanjiku, one of the residents, said she has been having abdominal pains and vomiting for some time after she took water drawn from this river.
“Almost every family has been affected, and people are going to the hospital every day with stomach problems due to the water contamination,” she explained to K24 digital.
“We don’t have another source of water in this area, thus we are still being forced to draw it from the same river.”
Elsewhere, leaders in Murang’a County are urging a united front in tackling mental health challenges.
The stench emanating from the rotting body is also making the lives of those living nearby unbearable, as it’s very strong.
They said about two weeks ago, the officers from the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) visited the area and had promised to remove the dead hippo from the river, which they never did.
Virgina Wanjiku, another resident, said even washing clothes with the water is still affecting them, and they are left with a bad odour.
“The best option would be for us to drill wells to get fresh water, but we don’t have the capacity to do so,” she stated.
On his part, John Kimani said the carcass has now attracted other scavenging animals such as hyenas, exposing them to another risk of being attacked by them.
“The wild animals have flocked in this area, and we fear they can start attacking us or our livestock. We feel neglected by the government because we have raised this issue with the relevant authorities, but no action has been taken,” he lamented.