Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua now wants all abandoned quarries in Juja, Kiambu County to be refilled to ward off marauding hyenas which have left a trail of deaths and injuries among locals.

Gachagua blamed investors who recklessly abandoned their open quarries for creating soft grounds for hyenas to breed and hide.

Speaking during the wedding of Paul Wetosi and Shiru Koimburi, the daughter of local MP George Koimburi in Juja, Kiambu County, Gachagua regretted that the hungry animals have become a menace to the community and called for a holistic discourse to tame them.

“There are so many quarries here in Juja where hyenas have been hiding. We are going to send a team to drive them out of Juja but there is a question we need to address about the quarries. As we mine the natural stones, what happens to the left pits?

Breeding abodes

They are a threat and dangerous for our children, they are now breeding and hiding abodes and are also home to mosquitos. It is something we need to address holistically. In the meantime, we will send a team of KWS to translocate them so that they stop becoming a menace in this area,” said Gachagua.

Over the last two years, at least ten people have either perished in the jaws of the wild animals or been left with life-threatening injuries, terrifying attacks they say should be stopped to enable them to go about their social-economic activities.

The locals, led by area MP George Koimburi, revealed that the surge in hyena attacks has destabilized their economic activities and instigated losses as the hungry animals have also been feasting on their livestock.

“We have become cry babies for the last two years. There’s been one attack after another. We now request that the officers at Oldonyo Sapuk game reserve be transferred and replaced with more dedicated ones who are willing to drive the hyenas out of this community. We are tired of burying people feasted by the hyenas,” said the MP.

Less than two weeks ago, Nancy Njoki, a food vendor was feasted on by a clan of hyenas while on her way to the hotel kiosk.

Severely mutilated

Her head was severely mutilated, her torso removed and her back brutally mauled.

Early this year, a 10-year-old Dennis Teya was mauled to death by the hounds in the neighbouring Gwa Kigwi village.

While the rise in human-wildlife conflict has been blamed primarily on humans encroaching on wildlife habitats, residents of Juja blame unfilled quarries, uncleared bushes in huge tracts of undeveloped land, and improper disposal of livestock among other factors for the surge in hyena attacks.

The hyena mauling cases are not new for villagers in the Juja constituency as scores of innocent locals have lost their lives in the jaws of the predators while other people have been left with life-threatening injuries.

Clans of hyenas have been roaming the villages including Nyacaba, Maraba, Athi, Juja Farm, Muthaara, Magomano, Kiahuria, and Mukuyu among other villages wreaking havoc and terrorizing residents with their vicious attacks.

Residents expressed concerns saying that they are living in fear noting that even businesses have suffered the brunt of the menace.

The situation, they said, has become so dire that schools which ideally should be opened for early preps and revision are being opened at 8 am in fear of the safety of the children and are nowadays closed at 4 pm instead of the usual 5 pm.

The affected family members called on the government to speed up the process of compensating them for the loss of life and damages caused by the wild animals to bring the matter to closure and enable them to heal.