KWS officers kill hippo in Masinga dam

Officers from the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) on Tuesday morning killed one hippopotamus in an ongoing crackdown on rogue hippopotamuses in Masinga Dam.

One hippopotamus escaped with injuries sustained from gunshots during the crackdown by KWS officers.

“In the morning we got information that they (the hippos) were chasing people away from accessing the dam… that is basically what caused the action,” said Polycarp Okuku, the warden in charge of Ol Donyo Sabuk who led the crackdown.

“Our mandate is to be able to protect the wildlife as well as human beings and their property from any threats or destruction to their property. So when we realized that that particular animal was a threat, it prompted that action.”

The crackdown came after one of the hippopotamuses on Thursday last week reportedly killed a man in Katulye, prompting angry residents to demand for action to be taken against the animals.

Amid the public outcry, Masinga legislator Joshua Mbithi Mwalyo had threatened to give a go-ahead for his residents to kill all hippopotamuses in the dam if the KWS did not intervene.