Fisherman dies after hippo attack in Bondo

A hippopotamus. [iStockphoto]

A 52-year-old fisherman drowned in Lake Victoria near Otono beach in Bondo sub-county on Thursday morning after his boat was torpedoed by a hippopotamus.

The fisherman, Michael Otieno, who was also the Secretary of Otono Beach Management Unit (BMU), is said to have been on a routine fishing expedition when his boat was hit by the hippo before it capsized.

According to Bondo sub-county BMU Network chairman Johannes Gaunye, a search was mounted soon after the 6am incident but they are yet to recover the body.

"The search is still going on through the support of the Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA) and the Kenya Wildlife Services officers who are closely working with the local fishermen to search for the body," said Gaunye.

The BMU chairman decried the increasing number of hippos around the area and pleaded with (Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) officers to find a lasting solution to the problem.

"Due to the hippo menace, our fishermen from the area have not been able to attend to their routine fishing activities," said Gaunye.