The father of a 19-year-old boy, who was killed in 2015 by a hippopotamus while crossing Tana River aboard a canoe, is demanding justice for his deceased son.
Hassan Kofa, a resident of the remote fishing village of Kipini in Tana Delta sub County of Tana River County has for the last five years been seeking compensation from the Kenya Wildlife Service organisation (KWS) to no avail.
The victim Saidi Hassan who was a Form One student, died after a wild hippo overturned the canoe he was riding with other students from school near the bank of the river.
Hippos are highly aggressive and well-equipped to deliver considerable damage to anything that wanders into their territory as they are largely territorial.
Speaking to KNA in Mombasa on Saturday, the distraught father of five children said his second born son was killed by a hippo considered the world’s deadliest large land mammal, which has been terrorising people along the river Tana.
A medical report by Dr. Festus Kahindi in possession of the father indicates that the hippo attack caused serious injuries to the deceased on the head, neck and torso leading to death.
The Tana Delta sub county KWS Warden, Miraj Ruga in a statement said the right procedure for compensation was undertaken and a Sh5 million award was approved for compensation.
“I have been to every KWS office in Tana River County and despite recommendations that we should be compensated as a family nothing is forthcoming,” said Kofa at the KNA Mombasa offices.
He said nothing seems to be forthcoming from the wildlife agency since the January 2015 incident was reported to them and traveled to Mombasa to share his plight with the media.
Waving a pile of correspondences from the local chief, police station, medical report and KWS Warden’s office enough proof that his son was killed by a hippo, he said hope is deeming of ever getting justice.
He reported the matter to the assistant chief, chief and was given letters before reporting to the police in Kipini and police issued him with an abstract before he went to lodge a complaint with the KWS.
The Kipini location Chief, Salim Babo said hippo attacks are becoming common and urged people to stay away from swollen water bodies to avoid unnecessary deaths.
By Hussein Abdullahi
