A 47-year-old man was killed after being attacked by a hippo near Kisiege Beach in Kamagumba Village, Kamwala Sub-location, Rachuonyo North Sub-county, Homa Bay County.
The deceased, identified as Agustine Kitoto Aoko, was reportedly attacked at around 2 a.m. on Saturday as he walked home from a local pub in Kobala Trading Centre.
According to Kamwala Sub-location Senior Assistant Chief Bernard Ochieng’ Odedo, the hippo attacked Aoko just a few hundred metres from his home.
“The hippo killed Kitoto on the spot, and his body was discovered on Saturday morning by a group of women who were heading to Kisiege Beach,” Odedo said.
The administrator said the attack occurred approximately 300 metres from the shores of Lake Victoria, raising fresh concerns over the increasing movement of hippos into nearby villages during the night.
He called on the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) to urgently intervene and address the growing threat posed by the animals to residents living close to the lake.
The body of the deceased was moved to Kendu Bay Adventist Hospital Mortuary as authorities continue with the necessary procedures.
The latest incident adds to growing concerns over human-wildlife conflict in parts of Homa Bay County, where residents living near Lake Victoria have repeatedly reported hippos straying into villages at night, posing a serious danger to people and livestock.
