Although the search for the missing hippopotamus went futile, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) officers managed to kill the rogue beast.
“In the process of the long search by our officers, we managed to kill the stray hippo” Lake Baringo Warden Jackson Komen said.
Komen said it is a normal thing done to any such wild animals which have tasted human blood.
But at the same time, some residents complained that a stray bullet hit the wrong hippo.
“The one which had a young calf is spotted behaving restlessly inside the lake, it could be the one that killed the boy” Loise Juma said.
However, Komen said it is the same locals themselves who identified the rogue marine beast and even pleaded with the KWS officers to shoot.
By the time of going to press, the missing body of class five pupil at Kapsoi primary school was yet to be recovered by Monday evening.
However, irate hungry residents turned up in hundreds to chop the hippo’s meat in protest ready to feast on it.
The father of the deceased boy, David Kiplagat lauded the authorities for the quick response.
“At least I could feel efforts were made to recover the body of my boy, of course if it goes missing then we will have no other option but to surrender it” Kiplagat said.
The boy was attacked while bathing and swimming with his mates at the lake shores around 6pm on Sunday.
“We were in Kampi ya Samaki town then we heard the boys screaming for help, we rushed there trying to rescue” Louise Juma said.
Juma said unfortunately they only found the bleeding boy’s right hand chopped and dropped outside the lake while the hippo submerged inside the water with the entire body.
He said a whole hour rescue mission to around 7pm did not bear any fruit owing to darkness and even attempt by security officers to shoot the ‘killer’ hippo was futile as the beast disappeared deeper into the lake.
“His age mates narrated the ordeal saying they were busy swimming when the hippo jumped on him (victim) grasping his left leg then he shouted once for help, but they were just children so they couldn’t manage” a resident Dennis Kiptoo said
Kiptoo said unfortunately there was no elder person around the scene at the time to scare away the animal “maybe a simple stone-throw on it could have made it release the boy” he said.
Baringo County Senior Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) warden Dickson Tonui regretted the incident saying the search is ongoing to recover the body.
“Our worry is only crocodiles which may have sensed blood and may feast on the body otherwise hippos only bite to kill but cannot eat humans” Tonui said.
He said his officers are already camping in the area to help the residents in search of the missing body.
The KWS boss however, cautioned the residents to keep off the secluded places of the lake noting the areas could be risky as they are a times being used by the marine creatures like crocodiles and hippos to lay their eggs and perch their young ones.
-JOSEPH KANGOGO