A clan of hyenas killed a 10-year-old in Witeithie area, Juja, Kiambu county, the latest in a series of attacks that have terrorised the area.
Residents live in fear and rarely move out of their houses in the evenings, late at the night and early morning for fear of the marauding animals.
They also keep their children out of school for fear of the hyenas.
Residents have pledged to work in groups and kill the animals but the Kenya Wildlife Service wardens pledged to drive the animals away and find a workable solution.
The remains of the boy were recovered Sunday/yesterday morning. His blood-stained clothes were found in a nearby bush by quarry workers. He was killed on Saturday evening.
The boy was a grade four pupil at private Highway Primary.
He was with three friends when they saw the clan of hyenas charging at them on Saturday evening, the victim’s father said.
Police visited the scene and recovered the mutilated body parts left behind by the animals. They did not identify the victim.
The other three boys told police they managed to escape after they saw the hyenas.
Residents said the pupil at the village school had been reported missing as his mother, a doctor, was at work.
Kenya Wildlife Service personnel visited the scene and promised to hunt down the hyenas and drive them back to the wild.
The pack is believed to have strayed from the nearby Ol-Donyo Sabuk Game Reserve where they usually roam.
Such attacks are common in the area. Last year in September, a nine-year-old boy was mauled to death by a pack of hyenas.
This year, a 35-year-old man from the neighbouring Athi village was attacked in a by about eight hyenas.
Earlier, two more people had been attacked by hyenas at Witeithie village in Juja and Thika constituencies, respectively.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations in Juja has cautioned outraged residents to be cautious while an amicable solution is being sought.