A 48-year-old fisherman was killed by a hippopotamus near Lambwe Beach in Suba North constituency during a fishing expedition in Lake Victoria.
Jannes Okombo was killed on Wednesday morning when the animal attacked him and a colleague in a boat they were using.
He was with Gilbert Abich when the hippo hit their boat, making it capsize.
The hippo got hold of Okombo, mauled him and disappeared with his body into the lake waters.
Homa Bay County Beach Management Units chairman Edward Oremo said the two fishermen became helpless after the hippo broke their boat.
“The hippo launched the attack by hitting their boat before mauling them. The boat cracked and gave the animal room to attack the fishermen since they were also struggling to swim,” Oremo said.
Currently, a team comprising Kenya Wild Life Service, Kenya Coast Guard Service officials, fishermen and residents have camped at the lake shore to begin retrieving Okombo’s body.
Speaking to journalists on Wednesday, Oremo said they rushed Abich to Mbita Subcounty Hospital for treatment.
He has since been transferred to Homa Bay County Teaching and Referral Hospital for specialised medication.
He sustained injuries on both hands and thighs.
Oremo appealed to the Kenya Wild Life Service to intervene and compensate the bereaved family.
“KWS should look for ways of restraining wild hippos to avoid killing people. Let's appeal to the county government to assist the bereaved family with humanitarian aid,” Oremo said.
The KWS warden in charge of Homa Bay Zipporah Mideva said they had begun retrieving the body.
“Officers officers are looking for the body of Okombo for retrieval. They are also looking for the problematic hippo which caused the incident,” Mideva said.
She said they are assessing before they conclude on compensating the family of the deceased.
“The other matters like compensation and other actions will follow later line with the government policies. Let us get the body first,” Mideva said.