Kajiado residents threaten to kill lions after mauling man to death

By Obegi Malack

@obegimalack

Residents of Oloosirkon/Sholinke Ward in Kajiado East Constituency have threatened to kill a pride of lions still roaming the area and Ongata Rongai after eating a man last week.

A man fired shots to scare them off yesterday night after area residents spotted them on Tuala Bridge.

Rongai Ward County Assembly member Mwathi Pere said the lions were on Friday morning spotted on Ole Motondo road in Ongata Rongai ward near Sinai hospital.

The MCA said he had informed Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) to remove the lions from the area and drive them back to the Nairobi National Park.

The lions ate a man who was heading home from Tuala centre last week and only left part of his foot and fore arm.

The man’s body parts were found on Monday morning by passersby at a bridge near Nazarene University, a few kilometers from Ongata Rongai town.

The residents held a meeting in the home of Mariasi Ole Pakini yesterday and gave KWS 24 hours to drive them back to the Park.

The animals have been roaming near homes for a long time now creating a lot of panic and fear among residents with authorities ignoring their complaints.

Residents have demanded that KWS fences the park because the lions have attacked and killed livestock whose owners have not been compensated.

Marias Pakini said the Kajiado County and national governments have failed to provide services in the area.

“The roads are impassable and government facilities including hospitals are not operational,” said Pakini. He said  insecurity cases such rustling have increased and now demand to have their own location and police station.

Sirkon Run chairman Fred Okware said human- wildlife conflict has been witnessed in the area for long and it is time KWS fenced the park.

Local residents accused elected leaders of not intervening on their behalf and also requested for an administration centre to be set up in the area for easy accessibility of services.

Area Ward representative Francis Kaesha  who  did not attend the event said  he was not invited, he said complains by locals are not  genuine he noted that he has presided over murraming of roads in the area and issues of insecurity should be handled by police base in Tuala

He maintained that claims of not being compensated by KWS , the issue is affecting every part of the country where  human wildlife conflicts is reported.

The KWS had issued a statement on Monday indicating that they were reaching out to the family of the deceased with a view to visiting and consoling with them. They urged members of the public to stay calm and not to venture out at night until the lion is captured.

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