Kuria, a former Cabinet Secretary, visited the family of a four-year-old boy who was tragically mauled by a hyena on September 4 at Flat Estate, Nyacaba area of Weitethie, Juja Constituency.
On Saturday, September 7, State House Senior Advisor Moses Kuria claimed that a new species of hyena was responsible for the resurgence in hyena attacks witnessed in Juja, Kiambu County over the past few weeks.
Kuria, a former Cabinet Secretary, visited the family of a four-year-old boy who was tragically mauled by a hyena on September 4 at Flat Estate, Nyacaba area of Weitethie, Juja Constituency.
“I assured the grieving family that I will personally ensure they receive compensation within six months,” he promised during the Saturday evening visit.
Moses Kuria with KWS officers at Flat Estate, Nyacaba area of Weitethie, Juja Constituency on September 7, 2024. /MOSES KURIA
Kuria noted that the recent attack represented a new and disturbing trend, as there had been no previous record of human-animal conflict in the area, adding that historically, hyenas and humans in the area had coexisted peacefully, despite the number of hyena attacks that have been reported around the area in the recent past.
He disclosed that Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) findings pointed to a new, aggressive species of hyenas that pose a threat to humans.
“These hyenas are primarily found around abandoned quarries and uncontrolled dump sites in the area, which have become their hiding grounds as they feed on food remnants at night and seek refuge during the day,” he added.
Following this, Kuria directed the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) to address the matter of abandoned quarries and illegal dump sites and for the Kiambu County Government to take decisive action to decommission the abandoned quarries, as they are responsible for quarry licensing.
He also called for KWS to relocate the hyenas to a remote area, seemingly reiterating earlier remarks by Tourism CS Rebecca Miano, in a move aimed at reducing the frequency of hyena attacks on Juja residents.
“Joseph Dadacha, Senior Assistant Director of the Southern Conservation Area, who accompanied me during the visit, is leading a team of KWS rangers to capture and relocate these hyenas to ensure resident safety.
“According to local reports, there have been eight fatalities and three injuries attributed to hyena attacks since 2017,” he added.
The Assistant County Commissioner for Weitethie Division, Cecilia Mbugua, was also present during the visit.
Kuria called on Kenyans to report instances of hyena sightings, providing the following KWS emergency contact numbers in case of immediate assistance:
- Toll-Free (24 hours): 0800 597 000
- Juja/Kiambu: 0742 869 016
- Machakos: 0798 903 561 / 0798 903 338.
Bird’s eye view of Juja town. /FACEBOOK
