Fishermen at Lake Naivasha are currently undergoing a trying moment after one of their colleague was attacked by a hippopotamus.
The victim was pronounced dead at Naivasha sub county hospital after he succumbed to the injuries caused bringing a death toll of people killed to three since the new year.
Witnesses who spoke to the Star admitted that hippos have become aggressive lately. A witness said that the latest victim of hippo attack was an unlicensed fisherman who was casting his net illegally when the hippo attacked.
"The hippo attacked the victim in the waters and we managed to drag him from its jaws and rushed him to hospital,” the witness said.
Chairperson David Kilo of Lake Naivasha Boat Owners Association said that the increasing deaths was due to many unlicensed fishermen in the area and also the increase in the number of hippos.
“The number of illegal fishermen outnumbers the licensed ones and this is a major concern for the lake’s users,” Kilo said.
Previously, Chairperson Francis Muthui of Friends of Lake Naivasha admitted that the number of hippos had alarmingly increased in the last three years and they had an habit of attacking locals and raiding their farms.
He said that the situation had turned sour when the fencing of riparian land where the animals grazed was effected.