Grief engulfed a region in Kiambu County yesterday after a middle-aged woman was killed by hyenas at Juja South Estate.
Nancy Njoki, a food vendor, was on the way to her kiosk at around 6am when she was attacked by the marauding hyenas leaving her with fatal injuries on the head, torso and legs.
Residents led by Hellen Mukami and Allan Mburu said the woman was a hardworking food vendor in construction sites within the village. The animals dragged her out to a thicket where they feasted on her.
“We are saddened by this unfortunate tragedy. She was my neighbour and she suffered excruciating pain. The animals feasted on her,” Mukami said.
They said despite crackdowns by the authorities including the Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS), the hyenas still roam in the villages reigning terror to the locals.
Serious injuries
The infuriated residents accused local leaders of taking too long to flush out the animals saying “Njoki’s life wouldn’t have been lost if the hyenas were nabbed and repulsed to secluded areas like conservancies.”
“Our leaders ignored our pleas. This is not the first incident as the hyenas killed other people that include children. Others have been left nursing serious injuries. Authorities too must act on this,” she said.
Early this year, a 10-year-old Dennis Teya was mauled to death by the hyenas in the neighboring Gwa Kigwi village. The locals said they have also lost their livestock.
Mukami said they are worried about the safety of their children once schools reopen in two weeks’ time saying they go to school early in the morning when the hyenas are still roaming in the area.
“Our children’s lives are at risk. We demand a KWS camp here and flush these dangerous animals out of our villages. It’s time we end the loss of lives. Hyenas are mostly nocturnal but can attack in the morning,” Mukami said.
The locals observed that failure by investors to refill mined quarries and clear bushes in the expansive tracts of land in the area has attracted the wild animals to the village. The quarries serve as hideouts for the hyenas.
Mburu, a boda boda operator in the area, said he has in several occasions spotted the marauding animals early in the morning.
