By Obegi Malack
obegimalack@gmail.com
A stray lion believed to have escaped from Nairobi National Park on Monday morning sparked panic among residents of Ongata Rongai town in Kajiado North subcounty.
The lion was found hiding in a corridor in a residential area a few metres from Tuskys stage along Magadi road.
Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) rangers had to sedate it and carry it away. Curious onlookers had rushed to the spot and demanded that the rangers allow them to see it .This forced the officers to call for more police officers from Ongata Rongai station to control the crowd.
According to residents the lioness had in the wee hours tried to attack school children who luckily escaped unhurt.
James Mose, a resident of Rongai said the wild animal had escaped from the park at night.
“It took advantage of the curfew to access the town centre, if there was no curfew it could have been forced back,” he said. He demanded that KWS should sensitize the community on how to keep out of contact with the lions since such cases have been on the increase.
Ongata Rongai MCA Mwathi Pere demanded that the KWS control the animals, saying incidents of stray wild animals in the town have been common.
Two weeks ago a body of a motorbike rider was found in Tuala,Oloosiron/Sholinke Ward. It had been eaten by wild animals. The deceased is said to have been murdered and his body dumped in the area. His motorbike was tracked to Korogocho slum in Nairobi County.