Missing 14-year-old boy mauled to death by hyenas in Nakuru

A h;yena. [Courtesy]

Residents of Lare Village in Njoro, Nakuru County, are reeling in shock after suspected stray hyenas devoured a 14-year-old boy who had been reported missing on the weekend.

James Mwangi, a Grade Seven student, went left her grandmother’s house and visited his mother, Peris Wangui, at her employer’s home, also within the village, on Friday.

“He came to my employer’s house on Friday at around 1 pm. He wanted to stay at my employer’s house, but that was not possible. We spoke, and he agreed to go back home,” said Wangui.

The distraught mother explained that she escorted her son and bid him goodbye on the promise that she would deliver some of the gifts he had asked for by the end of the month.

“I called home at around 7 pm and was informed that he had not arrived. On Saturday morning, I reported the incident at Naishi Police Station and embarked on a search,” said Wangui.

Paul Macharia, son of Wangui’s employer, was on their farm with another worker harvesting beans when they stumbled on a disturbing scene.

“The worker saw a trouser and alerted me. When I got to the scene, I also stumbled on a jacket and a t-shirt. I took them to Wangui, and she immediately recognised them as what he wore when he visited on Friday,” said Macharia.

The family raised alarm, attracting villagers who responded in numbers and aided in an extensive search on the farms, where an even more shocking discovery was made.

“We combed through the entire maize plantation. We found Mwangi’s undergarments. A few meters away, we found the intestines of a human being and realised he had been devoured,” said Macharia.

Area chief Lewis Kiaraho said that they informed the police, who responded and processed the scene on Saturday.

“We also informed the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), who arrived on Sunday and conducted a search in areas we suspected the hyena could be hiding, but didn’t succeed,” said Kiaraho.

An inconsolable Wangui mourned the death of her son, saying that she only hopes to find his remains and have a grave for her son.

“Nothing can be done to bring back my son now. I just wish I could get more remains of him, which I can bury and get closure in a more dignified manner,” said Wangui.

Shockingly, while conducting this interview, another minor raised alarm after she bumped into a mature hyena with two cubs.

“I heard the child cry out for help. She had been sent to a nearby shop. She told me of the encounter with the hyena, which vanished into the bushes,” said Zipporah Waithera, a resident.

The local community is, however, furious with the KWS, saying that they have not done enough to stop the hyenas and other big cats from attacking them and their villagers.

“We have lost count of the number of incidents that we have witnessed since May this year. We have lost countless sheep and goats, while leopards are killing our dogs,” said Charles Njoroge.

The community said that the  hyenas have almost become permanent residents of the village, with some of them giving birth within the area.

“Just recently, a woman bumped into smaller hyena cubs in their hideout on her farm. They vanished before they could be trapped. Their numbers could be increasing, and this spells doom for us,” said Njoroge.

They further lamented that while the KWS responds to their calls of distress, little to no action is taken after the incident has been reported.

“These hyenas start howling between 8 pm and 5 am. Nobody wants to be out at such a time anymore. We don’t have toilets inside our houses, and life is becoming miserable for us,” added Njoroge.