Farmers in Arujo Ward along the shores of Lake Victoria, Homa Bay town Sub-county are counting losses following an invasion of their farms by hippos.
The farmers, mostly drawn from Kanyabala village have been forced to spend nights in the farms to protect their crops. They expressed fears that the maize they planted recently will not mature following the invasions.
One of the affected, Mr. Delafiled Odoyo, said he depends on crop production for income and will do everything to protect his crops.
He said nowadays he sleeps during the day and becomes active at night to guard his farm.
“I have been camping in the farm at night to protect my crops from destruction. We must keep vigil to secure our source of income,” the farmer said.
Another farmer, Maxwell Otoyi, said hippos avoid their farms when they see humans guarding them.
“My farm has been invaded at least seven times. The destruction usually happens when no one guards the farm,” he says.
Some farmers, they said have tried putting barbed wires in areas that hippos use to access the farms, but somehow, the animals still find their way into the farms and destroy crops.
The residents urged the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), to intervene with Henry Owino saying maize production requires expensive inputs such as fertilizer and certified seeds.
The farmers lamented that KWS had not been prompt in responding.
“We always call them when we spot the hippos, but they have never offered any help,” one of them alleged.
Contacted, County KWS Warden, Jackson Kibor, said he was aware of the cases in Rachuonyo North and Homa Bay Sub-counties, adding,
“This is the peak season when wild animals destroy crops. We are, however, working together with farmers to ensure cases of invasion are curbed. It is just a small season and the numbers will go down,” Mr. Kibor said.
He told farmers to always call his office whenever they spot hippos and advised those guarding crops to be cautious and do so while on high grounds.
by Davis Langat
