A woman was killed by a pack of hyenas on Wednesday morning while returning home from the market. This attack marks the latest in a series of wildlife assaults in Juja South, Kiambu County, where three people have died and five have been injured in less than a year.
Nancy Njoki Thuo, a 52-year-old food vendor, was on her way home to prepare meals for her customers when she was attacked around 1 a.m. The images seen by Taifa Leo show that she sustained severe head injuries.
“It is unfortunate that she died instantly, and we are working with the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) to locate the hyenas in the area as they have been causing significant fear,” said Juja Police Commander Michael Mwaura in a phone interview with Taifa Leo.
Local residents, led by Hellen Mukami and Allan Mburu, told reporters that the incident could have been avoided if local leaders had pushed KWS to capture the hyenas, which have been roaming freely without government intervention.
“Our leaders have ignored our pleas. This is not the first case; hyenas have attacked and killed other villagers, including children. Some survivors are left with severe injuries. The government must take action because we are tired of complaining without any measures being taken,” they said.
Earlier this year, a ten-year-old boy named Dennis Teya was killed by a pack of hyenas in the neighboring village of Gwa Kigwi.
Residents are concerned about the safety of their children as schools are set to reopen in the next two weeks. They point out that the lack of proper closure of abandoned quarry sites and uncut bush areas has created safe havens for hyenas to breed and hide.
The most affected areas in Juja South include Nyacaba, Witeithia, Maraba, and Kabati, along with Juja in Kiambu County.
Earlier this year, KWS reported that it had relocated 12 hyenas from Juja in an effort to reduce human-wildlife conflict in the area. KWS stated that it has deployed a Problem Animal Management Unit (PAMU), which has set traps in specific locations to capture hyenas and lead a team to relocate them away from human-populated areas.
“It is unfortunate that the small county of Juja in Kiambu has witnessed an increase in wildlife attacks leading to fatalities. KWS extends its condolences to the affected families,” said KWS in a statement.
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