Editor's Review

  • The elephants have destroyed existing barriers posing a threat to locals. 
  • In 2019, one resident was killed following an attack. 

Fear of attack from elephants has forced Kerio Valley residents to defecate in basins at night. 

According to locals, they have turned to indoor latrines as they fear venturing out over fear of being attacked by the jumbos. 

Reports indicate that over 30 elephants have escaped from the Rimoi and Lake Kamnarok game reserves located at the border of Baringo and Elgeyo-Marakwet counties.

“Our families, including men, no longer come out to use the toilets at night. Instead, people prefer using basins for fear for their lives,” said one of the residents. 

The residents said the animals have camped in the area since December. They said they have reported to Kenya Wildlife Service but the agency is yet to take action.

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This comes after the elephants in 2019 attacked and killed primary school teacher Jackson Chepyegon at Sessunin village.

The residents said the memories still linger and that they can't take chances with their lives.

The elephant menace has also altered the learning activities as locals no longer send their children to school early.

Locals had put in place measures to bar the animals but they have destroyed the barbed wires erected to keep them at bay. 

Notably, the conflict has been blamed on the encroachment of humans on wildlife reserves.