One of the National Police Reservists (NPR) recently disarmed in the ongoing disarmament by the Interior Ministry was reportedly killed Friday by a Hippopotamus at Lake Baringo.
Solomon Yator’s body was recovered in the lake with some body parts missing and is suspected to have been devoured by a hippopotamus.
Yator, 33, from Chelelyo village, Baringo south, is said to have gone missing on Thursday after he went fishing at the lake.
It is suspected that he accidentally fell into the water and was attacked by the hippo.
Confirming the incident, the County Warden in Charge of Lake Baringo, Jackson Komen said that they had searched for the body the whole of the previous day but only managed to find parts of the body yesterday.
Komen says that the growth of water hyacinth in the lake causes poor visibility making the search difficult while at the same time, making for a favourable hideout for hippos and crocodiles that has maimed and killed many living around the Lake.
“It is barely four months since a child disappeared in a similar incident, only for a hand to be found near Kampi ya Samaki,” said the warden.
Meanwhile, Komen has called on the villagers living around the lake to only work and fetch water in designated safe areas so as to avoid such cases human-wildlife conflicts.
The body was taken to Baringo County Referral Hospital Mortuary in Kabarnet for postmortem.
By Irine Bartonjo/ Christopher Kiprop
