Hippos turn Lake Naivasha into death trap

For tens of ‘foot-fishermen’ in Lake Naivasha, the rising number of hippos in the lake and not the no-nonsense Kenya Coast Guards Service (KCSG) pose the biggest risk to them.

For the group, unlike the guards who they can negotiate with, the hippos have turned to be the lake’s newest killers and cause of disabilities.

In the last 11 months, scores of people have been killed by the hippos and tens others maimed due to rise in water levels that flooded the animals’ pastures. Over the weekend, a middle aged man, said to be a flower farm worker was killed near Kamuta farm after being attacked by yet another hippo. He is yet to be buried.

So ‘enraged’ is the troubled water body that it has claimed over 30 people this year with the majority of them being illegal fishermen, popularly known as foot-fishermen. A visit to the lake paints a disturbing picture as tens of semi-naked men and minors scramble for the little fish left.

Armed with undersized nets and fishing rods, they camp along the shores of the lake doing what they do best. In the process, the not-so-lucky ones have fallen prey to waiting hippos while others have fallen in underground trenches dug by farmers leading to their deaths.

The fisher folk in the lake tell harrowing stories as the ruthless animals literally drag their victims into the deep water inflicting deep cuts before leaving them to bleed to death.

John Kamau from Kasarani Estate in North Lake says he escaped death narrowly in January, but he was left on crutches. “I was working on the shores of the lake when a hippo suddenly emerged attacked me, crushing my legs and hands. I was saved by nearby fishermen on a boat,” he said.

Kimani said that efforts to get compensation from Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) have been fruitless adding that he had undergone untold suffering as he sought treatment. “The government has refused to assist victims of the attacks, which has led to a lot of suffering for us and our families,” he said.

This was echoed by another victim, Samson Okoilel who lost one of his knee-caps and buttock to a deadly attack in North Lake. He said that despite getting all the required documentation, KWS declined to compensate him, forcing him to rely on friends and relatives for support. “I was in hospital for four months and later referred for specialised treatment, which I cannot afford. I have now been reduced to a beggar,” he said.

A trader at Karagita landing beach John Mwangi attributed the rising cases to closure of wildlife corridors and riparian lands pushing the animals into human settlements. “We are worried by the rising cases of hippo attacks around the lake and this can only be resolved by opening up the riparian lands,” he said.

Lake Naivasha Network Group chairperson Grace Nyambura said many cases of hippo attacks and drowning go unreported, noting that foot-fishermen use empty water-jerricans as makeshift boats to access the lake. “We are deeply perturbed by the loss of members of beach management units to hippo attacks,” she said.

“Illegal fishing is rife with tens of minors dropping out school to join the lucrative fish trade. We are asking the government to intervene,” she said

On his part, Francis Muthui, the chairman of Friends of Lake Naivasha noted over 10 people have been killed or injured by the straying wild animals in the last four months.

He identified Kihoto, Kasarani, Tarambeta, Kongoni, Marula and Kamere areas as the most affected by cases of human-wildlife conflict.

Flooded access corridors

Muthui noted that since the lake burst its banks, acres of pasture land and access corridors flooded, pushing the animals into human settlements. Francis Mutuko, KWS Senior Warden in Naivasha blamed foot-fishermen for encroaching on the animals’ territory, noting that it would be tricky for KWS to compensate them for injuries as they go fishing in the lake illegally.

“We have conducted sensitisation meetings and those who are adversely affected are the illegal fishermen,” he said.

Earlier, the Wildlife Research and Training Institute (WRTI) termed the number of hippos in Lake Naivasha as ‘healthy’ despite rising cases of fatal attacks.   The Institute Director Dr Patrick Omondi agreed that human encroachment and closure of wildlife corridors is to blame for the rising cases of attacks.

“The last census conducted on the lake indicates there were over 500 hippos in the lake, which is healthy for the size of such a water body,” he said.