Man trampled to death by marauding elephant in Laikipia
An elephant passes through a homestead in Nakuru. A 71-year-old man was on December 13, 2018 = trampled to death by an elephant in Marmanet, in Laikipia County. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Mr Kinyua becomes the second victim of elephant attack in the recent past.
- A Kenya Wildlife Service officer was killed by an elephant in Rumuruti Forest a month ago.
- Residents led by Marmanet MCA Simon Kanyutu have lamented that the compensation process is quite slow.
A 71-year-old man was Thursday morning trampled to death by an elephant in Marmanet, in Laikipia County.
According to Nyahururu police boss Ezekiel Chepkwony, the man identified as Mr Richard Kinyua was killed when several elephants invaded his home in Marmanet village.
The man attempted to chase away the animals when one of them attacked him.
“The former headteacher of Kinguti Primary School died on the spot after a herd of marauding elephants invaded his home at dawn,” said the police boss adding that the elephants are suspected to have strayed from the neighbouring Rumuruti Forest.
SECOND VICTIM
Mr Kinyua becomes the second victim of elephant attack in the recent past after a Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) officer was killed by an elephant in Rumuruti Forest a month ago.
In September, Deputy President William Ruto commissioned the building of a Sh200 million fence around the Rumuruti-Marmanet Forest.
The government also promised to fence off other areas prone to human-wildlife conflicts as it planned to pay off pending claims for injury, deaths and destructions as a result of wild animals attacking the residents in the past.
COMPENSATION
But residents led by Marmanet MCA Simon Kanyutu have lamented that the compensation process is quite slow.
The MCA said that wild animals have been terrorising residents for the last three months despite the commissioning of the fence.
“People have lost crops worth millions of shillings and yet [there has been] no compensation. We have been complaining to the relevant authorities and yet no action is being taken,” he complained.
Mr Kanyutu regretted that no compensation has since been given to the residents who have lost their farm produce and several others killed.
Nyahururu KWS Senior Warden Jacob Orahale said that more officers have been deployed in the area to prevent further attacks.
He said that the process of erecting the electric fence is on and assured residents that normalcy will resume once it is completed.
