A devastating incident occurred in Flat Estate, Nyacaba, Juja, when a four-year-old boy was attacked and partially devoured by a hyena.
This tragic event has heightened local anger and fueled urgent calls for action to combat the threat of wild animals in the area.
The boy’s body was found some time after the attack, showing signs of having been mauled and partially eaten.
In response, residents organized a protest on Thursday, blocking the Thika Highway for hours.
They demanded immediate intervention from authorities to address the hyena issue and expressed a readiness to take matters into their own hands, calling for armed officers to assist in hunting down the hyenas.
“We need armed officers to help us hunt and eliminate these hyenas after we flush them out,” a local resident declared.
The police used tear gas to disperse the protesters who had obstructed the road with stones.
Authorities have mobilized multi-agency teams to track and capture the hyenas.
Last month, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua announced that the government would address the rising number of hyena attacks in Juja by deploying security and Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) personnel.
He highlighted that abandoned quarries are exacerbating the problem by offering hiding spots for hyenas and contributing to mosquito breeding.
Gachagua’s announcement came in response to Juja MP George Koimburi’s appeal for government intervention after a series of fatal hyena attacks, including the recent death of a 52-year-old woman.
Koimburi noted that hyenas have killed several people in the past five months, including a 10-year-old earlier this year.
With schools set to reopen in two weeks, local residents are increasingly worried about their children’s safety.
They attribute the rise in hyena attacks to quarry miners leaving excavated areas unfilled and overgrown, which has drawn hyenas from nearby national parks.
Despite earlier efforts by KWS to relocate 12 hyenas from Juja, the problem persists.
The government and conservation groups are working on strategies to manage human-wildlife conflicts, including fencing and compensation programs.
With ongoing threats from habitat loss and climate change, effective solutions are urgently needed.
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