From: Leo Odera Omolo
Date: Sun, Oct 4, 2009 at 1:20 AM

ARE THE ROGUE KILLER HIPPOS OF RUSINGA ISLAND OWNEDR BY WITCHES?

THE HIPPOS HAVE MYSTERIOUSLY DISAPPEARED FROM THE VILLAGES AFTER KILLING FOUR PEOPLE AND EVEN HUNTING BY THE ARMED GAME RANGERS HAS PROOVED FRUITLESS.

Commentary By Leo Odera Omolo.

THE twin islands of Rusinga and Mfangano in Lake Victoria are currently awash with rumors to the effect that the rogue Hippos which attacked and devoured four men within a period of four months could be associated with the work of witchcraft.

After the latest incident, which occurred two weeks ago, at Chiro Fish landing Beach in Kamgere village, Waware sub-location in East Rusinga Location, Mbita district, in which a young man, Oketch Onyango Ajwang’, was killed by a rogue Hippo, there is widespread rumors that his death had something to do with witchcraft.

The villagers, living in fears of being attacked and killed by Hippos, asked the Kenya Wildlife Services [KWS] to driver them out of the island or shoot all of them, since they had become a real menace to human beings. But the Hippos are nowhere to be found.

Now many Islanders believe the wild Hippos are owned by witches, who set them upon those they perceive to be their enemies.

It is being alleged that some witches, with supernatural powers, keep Hippos, and to some extent crocodiles, as pets for witchcraft purposes. Others are said to be keeping deadly poisonous snakes as pets for the purpose of intimidating their perceived enemies.

An incident is said to have occurred in Rusinga Island, which puzzled and stunned many people. A man, aged about 78 years , who for a long time was suspected by the villagers to be practicing the witchcrafts culture, had died.

One day after his burial, a herd of four grown up Hippos, congregated about one kilometer away, on a hilly village. There were many people around, especially mourners who were still milling around the dead man’s home. The Hippos purposely and majestically walked the streets into their alleged owners’ home to pay their last homage.

The herds passed through the unfenced, but crowded nearby primary school, ignoring the shouting of pupils and teachers, and walked straight to the funeral home, and then majestically walked back to the lake shore. This particular incident was witnessed by many people.

Hippos are nocturnal animals, which rarely come out of waters during day time, but only at night when they come out to feed.

Other stories making the rounds are that Hippos in Rusinga island usually come out at night and feed on selected farms, destroying crops to the chagrins of the farmers, but leave untouched neighboring farms, the claims indicating that someone unseen, with supernatural powers, is guiding these animals to inflict damages on some targeted farms..

Such beliefs are more common in Suba region, which is now sub-divided into two administrative districts, namely Gwassi and Mbita.

In the latest incident, a team of game warden from the Kenya Wildlife Services [KWS], from the nearby Ruma-National Game Reserve in Lambwe Valley, were summoned by the Provincial Administration and police authorities in Mbita to go and hunt down the killer Hippo.

The team has been camping along the shoreline of the lake, pint-pointing an area in which the incident had occurred and the exact place where the deceased was attacked. The Game rangers and wardens spent several days and nights hunting for the Hippo. But none was seen, or even heard snorting or snoring around, as is the usual Hippo practice during evening times.

After camping along the shoreline for two weeks, the Game Warden have since given up the hunt.

The practices seemed to have some element of similarity. When a young man was attacked as he was taking bath along the shoreline in Kaswanga village, West Rusinga location three moths ago, the Game Wardens were also summoned to come and either kill or remove the herds of Hippo from the area. But they left without seeing any of these wild animals.

In normal circumstances the Hippo are a common feature around the fishing villages. Especially when the Game Wardens are not around, a large herd of Hippos is a common sight along the shorelines in this particular village.

The animals can usually be seen in a group of six to ten at ago, while sun-bathing during late morning hours or be heard snoring and snorting during the evening hours.

Strange happenings from the twin islands of Mfangano and Rusinga.

In the middle of the 1970s, there was a village farmer in Mfangano Island who was supplying the teachers in the nearby secondary school with milk. But strangely enough, it later emerged that the milk supply farmer did not own even one dairy cow in his homestead. When the matter was thoroughly investigated, it later emerged that the villager had extra supernatural power of charming herds of female Hippos out of the lake and milking them. His milk was surprisingly thick and had a lot of cream.

Following the discovery of his tricks, according to information made available to us, the milk supply farmer mysteriously disappeared with his entire family. But they were later traced living in a fishing village in the neighboring Tanzania. The Hippo milkman has never, since that incident, set his foot in Kenya.

Another report involves a white man who had lived in Mfangano Island as a secondary school teacher. In this particular incident,, the young white volunteer teacher from Scandinavia, went out of his way to learn a particular culture for close to three years.

When the teacher returned to his native country in Europe, his neighbors discovered that the young man had developed some kind of unique characters of knocking their doors and windows as they slept. He was hurling sand and soil through the windows of his neighbors dwelling home, and even kicking doors.

The young man, according to reports, even hurled stones on the roof-top of his neighbors houses. The frustrated neighbors later laid an ambush and caught the man. When he was questioned, he told his captures that he was only practicing a Luo culture which is commonly known as [Yido], meaning night running practices, which he had learned in Kenya. He told them that he had learn the trick while working in Mfangano island in Kenya, where the practices was so common.

Another unconfirmed report is the story of an ex-Chief who came face–to-face with a naked night runner and later died in Mufangano Hospital without regaining consciousness from the shock.

Most of the fishermen, whom I talked with, readily admitted that a Hippo is not a dangerous animal, but is a coward animal, who prefers running away when a human being approaches. The fishermen added that only a female Hippo, nursing a young calf, can be aggressive in the protection of her calf. Similarly, an old bull, which is dislodged and edged out of his herds of females by a younger and stronger bull , are known to turn aggressive.

But lately, there are numerous reports of Hippos turning aggressive and hurting fishermen and other users of the lake for none of the reasons above. The claims that these animals are being owned by witches also need thorough investigations, so as to ascertain the truth.

Ends

leooderaomolo@yahoo.com..
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Subject: Are the Killer Hippos of Rusinga and Mfangano Islands owned by witches? That is the question.