West Pokot farmers protest crocodile attacks against their livestock

Farmers have complained that crocodile attacks against their livestock are increasing.

The farmers from North Pokot said the crocodiles swam in overflowing water from rivers Turkwel and Suam during the heavy rains and found their way into dams and shallow wells, used to preserve water for use during dry spells, where they attacked the animals.

James Limale, a livestock farmer from Orolwo, said he had lost two goats and asked the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) to fence off the water points.

"It is common during the rainy season for crocodiles to make their way to artificial dams and attack animals drinking water. We are appealing to the authorities to help us keep the crocodiles at bay through proper fencing," he said.

He said the reptiles had also preyed on children drawing water from the dams and rivers. Snake attacks are more common in the dry spells.

The crocodiles present a big threat to the farmers who suffered huge losses in the recent drought.

 They were charged between Sh100 and Sh150 per animal daily to graze in Uganda before leaders from the region negotiated with their Ugandan counterparts to allow them to graze their animals at no charge.