A crocodile that has been terrorizing the residents of Kopiata beach in Rarieda sub county has been finally trapped by the Kenya Wildlife Service after eluding the snare for the last one year.
Area residents expressed joy and relieve as KWS personnel pulled the huge reptile that is blamed for the loss of at least three lives since 2025.
Siaya County KWS Warden, Sheila Ochieng’ said that apart from the three lives that have been lost at Kopiata beach alone, residents have also lost several livestock within the same period.
Ochieng who led a team of rangers and other security personnel said that the reptile has been dodging the snares that they have been setting along the Lake Victoria beach. “We had to resort to trapping the crocodile after losing three lives,” she said while addressing the media at Kopiata beach. She said this brings to two the crocodiles KWS has managed to trap in the past two years.
She hailed the close cooperation that her team received from residents, the National Government Administration officers and the area beach management unit that she added enabled them to successfully remove the reptile from the area.
Mrs. Ochieng’ encouraged the community to continue cooperating with KWS and report wildlife incidents promptly through their local leadership. The warden further cautioned residents living near rivers and Lake Victoria to remain vigilant to prevent more attacks.
Residents hailed KWS for removing the reptile that has been a nightmare to them. “We have lived in fear for too long. Every time we go to the lake, we wonder if we will come back alive. We have lost family members and livestock, and it has been heartbreaking for our community,” said Samuel Okoth, a resident.
East Uyoma location chief, Peter Odongo commended KWS team for their swift intervention saying that crocodile attacks had become very rampant in the area.
Meanwhile, a member of the community, Benard Oketch whose family has in the past lost a member due to crocodile attack at Kopiata Beach called on the Government to compensate them. “We have suffered greatly and deserve support from the authorities,” said Oketch.
By Philip Onyango
