Residents of East Asembo location in Rarieda sub-county have decried the increasing numbers of rogue hippopotamuses and monkeys that usually terrorize people across the region.
Led by Bishop Enos Oginga Radiro, the residents lamented that the wild animals have been destroying crops and discouraged farmers from cultivating large parcels of land for fear of losses.
He expressed fears that the region may soon face hunger because of such destruction, adding that the majority of residents also fear for their lives and can no longer undertake their day-to-day operations freely.
A resident, Odira Migoma said many residents hardly harvest crops from their farms because of the animals, adding that cases of human-wildlife conflict have intensified.
He said that the government should relocate the hippos and monkeys to other game reserves to spare them from the nuisance.
They spoke to KNA at Rabolo beach where they lamented furthermore that cases such as hippo, crocodile and monkey attacks and the havoc caused by the wild animals have on several occasions been reported but no remedial action was taken.
On his part, Jackton Onyango Ogwari whose cows were killed by hippopotamuses decried the slow rate at which the Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) was compensating those affected, lamenting that seven years since his cows were killed he has not gotten any payment.
By Brian Ondeng
