Reports Leo Odera Omolo In Kericho Town.
WORSHIPPERS and faithful too to their heels and fled in great stampede in Western Kenya town of Nakuru about 100 kilometers southwest of the capital city, Nairobi after they found a wild lion had strayed I the church compound the previous night and was roaming about menacingly.
The incident took place last Sunday morning hours when the worshippers had arrived in the church for the morning service at St Nicholas Anglican Church of Kenya {ACK}, which is located at the Lakeview estate, not fat away fro Nakuru National Game Park.
A senior church elder Peter Mungoya told the newsmen that he had been alerted by and warned a fellow parishioner about the danger. The ma told me when I arrived or the morning service that a full grown lion had strayed into the church compound forcing some of the early arrivals to lock themselves inside the church hall.
“The church caretaker told us that he had spotted the lion sneaking into the church compound at about 4.AM {local times}and said the beast had e alerted the officials of the Kenya Wildlife Services {KWS}.
Lake Nakuru National Game Park warden in-charge Joseph Dadacha said the beast might have escaped fro the par after a fight with other lion over territorial disputes.’”We struggle to catch it, but when morning came we could not shoot it a we risked injuring members of the public”,said the game warden.
He said the lion would be relocated and taken to the animal orphanage to ensure its safety. The beast was later sedated. The KW official asked residents to report cases of stray wild animals to the KWS, and captured at the nearby Kimathi Primary School and returned to the game park.
Over the past few months several pythons have been caught in the nearby Flamingo an lake view estates within Nakuru town’s suburbs
At the same time a 12 year old school boy at Ogaka Primary School at Mikei village in Nyatike district within Migori County was devoured by a crocodile.
Distress calls was made by the locals who attracted many people I the nearby villages who managed to retrieve the minor’s body. Area police Chief Richard Bitonga immediately appealed to the locals to be careful when at the Crocodile infested River Migori.
In the recent past several isolated incidents involved Nile crocodile attacks and killing have bee reported in both Migori and Kuja rivers as well as in the nearby River Oyani. The deceased in this particular case had gone for a swim in the in Migori River in the company of two other boy after the school holiday started.
Meanwhile fears persist in NORTHEN Kenya covering following the reports of massive invasion by swarms of desert locusts.
Farmers at Kingilitis irrigation scheme in Loima district have raised fears that their crops yields would be lost this season if the authorities do not intervene.
Pouline Nakala an agronomist working I the region ha appealed to the government and door partners to salvage the situation before it gets out of hand.
“We are immediately sending the experts to go and assess the damage inflicted the crops by the pests we swing into action Province LEONARD Nyambuyathe regional director of Agriculture.
He added, “We are experiencing big loss of crop to the locusts invasion and we expect losing large quantity of crops this season.
Dr Poul Omanga of the Food and Agriculture Organization {FAO}promised that his organization would assist the Kenyan farmers in their fight against the pests. However, all agreed that the appearance of the desert locusts in the region posed a bi threat to food shortage and security I the region and needs concerted effort by all relevant stakeholder to brainstorm together for solutions.
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