Kiambu County governor Kimani Wamatangi and other officials addressing journalists at his office
By Felix Njenga
Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi has said that his administration will take action on the hyena menace in Juja and other parts of the county if the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) is unable to relocate the hyena into the wild.
Wamatangi speaking during a presser at Kiambu county headquarters yesterday said that the persistent hyena menace has tragically claimed over 22 lives with the most recent attack against a five year old boy in Nyacaba in witeithie Juja subcounty who will be laid to rest tomorrow.
“When we bury the five year old boy on Wednesday, we want measures put in place to remove the hyenas from Witeithia ward. If it is not done as a county government we will hit the ground and kill them as we must protect the lives of our people,” Wamatangi said.
He said that the death toll now stands at 10 people in recent times with a number of residents being injured accusing the KWS for abdicating its responsibility despite numerous appeals from both residents and the county government.
He said that there are also disturbing reports of hyenas which have raided Ndeiya,Ngecha in Limuru, Uthiru in Kabete and Kikuyu sub counties.
The county boss said that blame lies squarely on the government agency which bears sole responsibility for protecting citizens from dangerous wildlife.
‘The families in Juja can tell you that since they lost their loved ones to the hyenas no one has ever been compensated or consoled by the KWS. We cannot allow ourselves to be put in a position where we have to choose between lives of people and animals,” he said
He said that his administration will push the government to see to it that those who lost their loved ones are compensated by KWS.
“We have seen in other areas where lions and cheetahs have killed livestock, the livestock are compensated. There is a set price for the livestock to be compensated. We cannot compare animals and people’s lives. People must be compensated,” he said.
He said as a county they have done their part of sealing off disused quarries that have become breeding grounds for the hyenas.
“These quarries which the hyenas have used as hideouts have been a focal point of our efforts to prevent further mayhem. despite these proactive steps and our continued communication with KWS it appears that our pleas have fallen on deaf ears,’ he said
He said that it is time to hold KWS accountable for their inaction and must deploy its resources to round up the hyenas and relocate them to game parks and reserves where they belong.
‘These wild animals cannot coexist with human beings. KWS must act immediately before more lives are lost. there have been empty promises by KWS and as a result, more lives have been lost,” he said.
He, however demanded Cabinet Secretary Tourism and Wildlife Rebecca Miano to take action and make the issue a priority as the residents of Juja are suffering.
“You owe it to the people of Juja to resolve this crisis,” he said.
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