Piece by: ANTONY GITONGA

22 October 2021

The body of a middle-aged man who was decapitated in Mai Mahiu town in Naivasha two days ago has been identified by his kin.

The casual labourer was identified as 42-year-old Francis Thuo who worked as a sand harvester in one of the quarries in Mai Mahiu.

The body was found by members of the public lying in a pool of blood with all his personal effects which include a mobile phone lying next to the body.

Three weeks ago, unknown people killed a 42-year-old man in the nearby Mirera estate and escaped with the head after dumping the body near the area railway line.

The family was forced to bury the man without the head after a fruitless search for two weeks in nearby bushes and roadsides.

Naivasha OCPD Samuel Waweru confirmed the positive identification of the man though the motive behind the beastly murder was yet to be known.

He said that no arrest had been made but was quick to note that investigating officers had made strides in their investigations.

“We are yet to identify the motive behind the murder of the sand harvester but it’s a matter of time before we get those involved,” he said.

Meanwhile, the number of hippo attacks involving boat operators and fishermen around Lake Naivasha has continued to rise.

The attacks have been blamed on the rising population of the hippos and an increase in the number of fishermen and tour operators.

This came as a middle-aged man was seriously injured in the Kasarani area after he was attacked while on a fishing mission.

A witness, Adam Kimani said that the victim was in a group of youths when the hippo attacked, breaking his arms and hands.

“The animal struck very fast and the other foot-fishermen managed to escape but one was not lucky and he was seriously injured before he was rescued and taken to hospital,” he said.

He noted that the closure of wildlife corridors coupled with rising water levels had reduced grazing grounds for the animals making them hostile.