Wildlife
Several Kajiado farmers across the County are counting losses after marauding lions and hyenas attacked their livestock. In the past few months, cases of wildlife attacking livestock at the dead of the night in homes have increased with no action from the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS).
Iloodokilani Location Chief, Wilson Letema, says that for the past few days, two lions have been marauding in the area, causing fear among the residents as they do not know when and where the predators will attack.
“The lions came from Oltepesi into Iloodokilani and it is unfortunate that they killed two cows in Daniel Letema’s homestead on Monday evening. I want to urge KWS to relocate the lions immediately before the residents incur more losses, leading to the killing of the lions,” said Chief Letema.
Nicholas Korinko, a resident in Iloodokilani says that human wildlife conflicts have been rife in the area yet KWS is taking no action.
“Elephants have been destroying our farms and water infrastructure for a while now. There were no lions in the area but since it rained, the marauding lions are attacking our livestock at night. Despite reporting the matter to the KWS, they have not been relocated neither have we been compensated for the losses already incurred,” lamented Korinko
In Olooloitikoishi location in Isinya Sub-county, the situation is the same as lions and hyenas attack livestock at night forcing desperate farmers to hold night vigils in order to protect their animals.
“For several months now, we have been forced to guard our animals at night to prevent attacks from hyenas. Though we do not see them during the day, they begin howling from 10 PM at night as they approach our homes. They not only attack our sheep but cows too.” Lamented Ian Saruni, a livestock keeper in Olooloitikoishi.
Despite the night vigils, the hyenas often manage to get into the kraal and kill the sheep during early hours of the morning. A few kilometers from Olooloitikoishi, a farmer, Christopher Pakine from Erankau village is counting his losses after the hyenas killed eight of his sheep on Monday night.
The farmers are also urging KWS, to help them install solar lights at their homes to protect their animals from the predators.