One of the dogs that was killed by veterinary officers in Dagoretti after a 65-yr old man was mauled to death/MUTHONI NJUKI
NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 18 – Last week, it was the distressing news that stray dogs had mauled a four-year old girl to death in Meru.
On Monday morning, residents of Nairobi’s Dagoretti village woke up to the shocking news that a 65-year-old man had also been attacked and killed by dogs.
The man’s body was found at the crack of dawn in Mutuini by a child living at a nearby charity home who raised the alarm and alerted locals.
One of the dogs which still had blood on its jaws was killed after it was spotted by locals who then started searching for the owner of the charity home, which keeps seven dogs in its compound.
“The man was found dead by the young boy from our home. When he alerted me, I called the police who responded very fast and even protected us,” Felista Wangui the caretaker of the home said.
The caretaker absolved herself from blame saying the area had many incidents of people being attacked by dogs.
“We were asleep when we were woken up at around 5am by a boy who had gone to the lavatory and found the body lying there. Where he was lying was still within our compound but at an area which is normally used as a foot path and many dogs are always within this area. It is not our dogs alone,” she stated.
One of the residents who survived an earlier attack by the mongrels recounted his ordeal which is sharply etched in his mind as it continually gives him nightmares up to this day.
“I have a case with the owner of this home. I was passing along the same path when the same dogs attacked me. It was very traumatising. It was the most terrifying part of my life because the dogs were not even barking. They were just attacking and ripping me apart,” he stated.
He explained that the dogs were so determined that they followed him to his house where he cowered with fear.
“I managed to fight them off eventually and fled to my house and even then, they followed me up to my doorstep. I can tell you now that it was a very bad experience. I now have a habitual terror of dogs and every time they bark, I am terrified,” he revealed.
Documents shown to the Dagoretti Corner District Veterinary officer Simon Mburu revealed that the dogs in the compound had been vaccinated.
Mburu however explained that the animals may attack humans when they are rabid or when they are mating even if they are healthy.
“We do not know what happened. You know, when dogs mate, they are normally very irritable and they attack anyone and anything that comes near them. It is normally advisable to keep as far away from them as possible when this is happening,” he stated.
He indicated that investigations are now being conducted as to whether the children’s home near where the incident took place was fenced properly.
The facility had a total of eight dogs, four of which were put down by officials of the Kenya Society for the Protection & Care of Animals (KSPCA) following suspicions that they may have attacked the man.
“If you are keeping guard dogs, the area needs to be so secure to ensure that they are not moving from the area of confine,” said the veterinary officer.
He stated that criminal proceedings will be instituted against the home should there be any shortcomings.
“What we are saying and what we are trying to establish is, had she enclosed those dogs properly in her compound… if not that is an offense because you have to enclose the dogs so that they do not move out of the compound,” he stated.
Nairobi Provincial Police chief Benson Kibue urged residents to remain calm and allow detectives carry out a comprehensive investigation.
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