A fisherman is nursing injuries after he was attacked on Saturday evening by a hippopotamus in Lake Victoria.
Maurice Odhiambo, 48, was attacked by the hippo while he was bathing at the shores of the lake.
The incident took place in Rasira Beach in Gwasi South Location, Homa Bay County.
The Chairman of Rasira Beach Management Unit (BMU) Sospeter Ayako said Odhiambo was mauled by the hippo and dragged into the lake before he raised an alarm.
Ayako said fishermen who were nearby swiftly responded to the distress call and rowed their boats to the scene to rescue him.
"The rescuers attacked the hippo with crude weapons forcing it to release their colleague who was immediately pulled into a boat before they sailed back to the land," he said.
Ayako said Odhiambo sustained serious injuries on his stomach, thigh and his hands.
He was rushed to St. Camillus Hospital where he was admitted in a stable condition.
Ayako implored the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) to ensure those who were attacked by animals were promptly compensated.
He at the same time expressed concerns over increasing attacks by hippopotamuses in the area.
He said the hippos frequently destroyed crops belonging to farmers living on the shores of the lake and were giving fishermen a hard time in their work.
“My colleague has escaped death very narrowly, I hope the KWS will compensate him promptly," he said.
