Body parts of a nine-year-old boy who had been missing for three days were found after a fatal attack by a leopard in a village in Maralal, Samburu County.
Police and Kenya Wildlife Service officials said the juvenile went missing on January 13 as he went to fetch water from a local stream in Angata Nanyukie village.
He had been sent by his family to walk to Leseneto River for water but failed to return home, officials said.
This prompted a search in the area by KWS officers and members of the local community who were mobilized.
It was not until January 16 that the remains of the child were found in a nearby forest.
It is believed that the deceased died as a result of a leopard attack, which was sighted in the village. Police said the remains included bones.
The animal had eaten other body parts. The remains were moved to the local mortuary pending autopsy and other procedures.
Locals have vowed to hunt down and kill the wild animals terrorising them amid calls from authorities for calm. Such incidents are common in areas near parks.
It also indicates the issue of human-wild animal conflict due to among other resources.
President William Ruto last year in April launched a compensation scheme for victims of wildlife attacks to help them rebuild their livelihoods and meet hefty medical bills.
Launched in Laikipia, home to iconic species including elephants, rhinoceros, and buffaloes, the human-wildlife conflict mitigation and compensation scheme is expected to foster harmonious coexistence between local communities and animals in the wild, Ruto said.
He said that compensation money for fatal wild animal attacks will increase from Sh200,000 to Sh5 million.
“If a farmer is attacked and killed by an elephant, the government will compensate his or her family with Sh5 million,” he said.
The President added that those who suffer injuries from attacks will be compensated depending on the injuries sustained but the money will now range from Sh1 million to over Sh3 million.
According to Ruto, victims and their families will also have a new online platform to report incidents in a bid to ensure their compensation is within months and not years as has been the case in previous years.
To mitigate human-wildlife conflicts, Ruto said the government will erect electric fences in the hotspots countrywide, besides incentivizing communities to protect threatened species.
Since 2014, the Kenya Wildlife Service has received 17,000 compensation claims from victims of wildlife attacks totaling Sh7 billion, while 10,000 claims have been cleared, Ruto said.
