Shock has hit Nyacaba village in Juja, Kiambu County after a pack of hyenas mauled a nine-year-old child to death sending locals into panic mood.
The deceased, a grade 3 male pupil at a private school in the village, was reported missing on Thursday evening only for his clothes to be found dumped in a nearby bush today, September 3, 2022.
According to Gideon Nderitu, a resident, the child identified as Njoroge Mariga is reported to have disappeared from the house on Thursday night when his mother, a doctor, was working.
His clothes are reported to have been found by quarry workers who were reporting to work early in the morning.
Residents led by Mary Muthoni and Martin Mwaura, a bishop regretted that the incident left them in fear as they could no longer walk at night.
In their speeches, they reported that three more hyenas were spotted today roaming in the village.
Worried that Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) officers have been doing less to contain the situation despite making numerous requests to have the animals ejected out of the village, the locals agitated for prompt interventions to avert further crisis.
“It is very sad that we have lost an innocent child to wild animals yet we have a government and officers mandated to ensure that the harmful animals remain in the forest. We cannot cope with what we have seen today,” Muthoni regretted.
“We are tired now, we do not want to experience these cases anymore,” Bishop Mwaura added.
Earlier, two more people in Witethie village in Juja had been attacked by the animals.
The incidents come months after a 35-year-old man from the neighbouring Athi village was attacked by about eight hyenas.
Last year, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) cautioned Juja and Thika residents of the marauding animals causing deadly attacks on residents.
