Man badly injured after elephants invade his homestead

A middle-aged man was critically injured on Wednesday morning after marauding elephants invaded his home in Nkando village, Maili Saba area near the Isiolo-Meru border.

The jumbos attacked Mr Jeremiah Kanake as he came out of his house to respond to screams from villagers who were chasing the animals away after they were spotted wreaking havoc on one of the farms.

The elephants, which included a calf in the herd, trampled on his chest and one of his legs before residents managed to scare them away and rush him to Isiolo Referral Hospital.

Isiolo Referral Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Hussein Mohammud said the 47-year-old sustained severe injuries on his chest and had fractures on his right leg.

“The wounds are being dressed,” Dr Hussein told Nation.Africa.

Nkando residents have raised alarm over increasing jumbo attacks in the area saying two people, including a child, were killed six months ago.

They say stray elephants have continued to terrorise them, making it hard to carry on with their daily activities.

Ms Catherine Kanyua, a resident, said jumbos had wreaked havoc on her maize and banana plantation leaving her counting losses.

Kill threats

“We are tired of asking the government to contain them because nothing has been done,” she lamented while accusing the Kenya Wildlife Service of laxity in responding to emergencies.

Locals are now threatening to kill the elephants, maintaining that they will not allow them to continue attacking people and destroying crops.

They have also faulted the government for not paying pending claims stemming from injury, death and destruction caused by wildlife.

“We want the issue addressed or we take the law into our hands,” a resident, Mr Mutwiri, said.

KWS Senior Warden Mohammud Madera could not be reached for comment by press time.