Residents of Karachuonyo in Homabay have raised alarm over the increasing cases of chicken rustling in the region.
Many hen-keeping locals are complaining about their birds disappearing mysteriously, a trend that has hit the area only recently and seems to be on the increase.
Among the victims is Ms Kezia Onunga who has since lost 54 hens in the last few days.
The latest one is the loss of 2 hens which were brooding, days after 42 went missing in what she terms as theft, as the door to the chicken house was found broken.
"I didn't know the two hens were gone. It was only in the evening when I realised their laying boxes were empty. We searched everywhere including neighbouring homesteads but it yielded nothing. That’s how they vanished," she is quoted by the Nation.
According to Mr Silver Orango, a farmer of Oriang’ Korato, the situation has forced him to accommodate his birds inside his home after a previous attempt by the thieves to invade the birds’ house.
However, what baffles the residents more is that the hens never make any noise during the thefts which many suspect happen at around 3 AM when they are enjoying their sleep.
According to Mr Ezekiel Owino, another farmer, the main thief is most likely a former herdsboy who was once caught while stealing chicken in the area and who doubles up as a former urchin in Kisumu town.
"This herdsboy used to be a street urchin in Kisumu. We suspect he is one of the masterminds of the chicken theft racket," he is quoted by the paper.
Confirming the increased cases of chicken rustling in the area, Kogwen Oriang’ Location Chief Killion Abeka, however, blamed locals for not attending barazas organized in an attempt to devise countermeasures.
"The problem with our people is they don’t attend public barazas. Some farmers have had luck in tracing and recovering their birds,’’ he says.