Hippo, crocodile attack victims cry out for help

Residents of Nduru in Nyando Sub-county in Kisumu are seeking compensation over attacks from hippos and crocodiles.

One advocate Hellen Kuke says she is handling close to 100 cases of attacks, even as she blames the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) for failing to protect the people. “Cases of crop damage have become common that residents have stopped going to court or reporting to KWS,” she said.

And no one can better tell the story of the pain than Peter Aduda, who has to live with the scars of a hippo attack that left him with physical disability.

He was one of the eight people who suffered injuries after two hippos strayed from Lake Victoria into the village on November 30, 2018.

It was an experience which has changed the way of life in a village that depends on fishing and rice farming at West Kano Irrigation Scheme, as the animals remain a threat.

Dismissed case

The grim situation is replicated in a number of villages that border the Lake Victoria beaches, raising concerns over the rise in cases of human-wildlife conflict.

As for Aduda, his only hope was recently quashed after a magistrate’s court in Nyando dismissed his case seeking for compensation from KWS, with Senior Resident Magistrate Kipngéno Sang ruling that the court has no jurisdiction to determine such a case.

Meanwhile, his broken arm still hangs on a sling, as it is yet to fully heal. Aduda left the hospital before full treatment as he could not afford to pay the bills.

His case is similar to that of 28-year-old Moses Onyango, who was attacked on the same day. “Just as I went past Nduru School, I bumped into the hippos. They made a fiery mow before turning on me. They caught up with me as I escaped, hacking my arm and my chest,” he said.

But he had no Sh30,000 to undergo orthopedic surgery to correct his broken hand. And just like Aduda, his case seeking compensation from KWS was thrown out.

But Omari Ouno, also a victim, chose not to go to court and visited KWS offices where he filled compensation forms, and presented his medical reports, chief’s letter and a police report number. He is yet to get a word from KWS.

His worry is however his loss of ability to manage his farm, which has made him abandon it. Ouno had to sell his two motorcycles that served as his alternative sources of income, and used the proceeds to seek treatment after the hippo attack.

Christine Boit, Senior Warden in charge of Kisumu and Siaya counties admitted to having knowledge of cases of these three hippo victims, and said they were doing their best to reduce cases of human-wildlife conflict in the area.

Deaths and injuries

She also admitted that compensation for the deaths and injuries for victims of wildlife attack have been taking long. She said they have compensated people over attacks reported up to 2016. Those reported later are pending.

“When it comes to compensation, we do the processing, but it is Parliament to allocate funds, and before it does that, we have to wait,” she said.