On the rocky hills of Nyahera in Kisumu County lies Akingili village, blessed with fertile soil where crops grow even at the foot of the big boulders that dot the area.
The village is also full of trees that provide a breathtaking scene from a distance.
But below this seemingly serene environment lies a deeply rooted human-wildlife conflict that has caused massive losses for villagers and injuries to animals.
In this quiet village a battle is raging between locals and troops of marauding baboons and monkeys wreaking havoc.
So organised are the villagers that weapons, including clubs and spears, have been smithed ready to fight the rogue animals.
But what the animals lack in brains they compensate for in their numbers.
The animals rely on their numbers to attack villagers, who have had to chase away the primates using dogs.
To do this, they have village frontline ‘soldiers’ who respond to any alarm raised when the animals strike.
“These beasts are a menace to us and neighbouring villages. Their number keeps increasing and sometimes they raid our homes and farms in hundreds,” lamented Nicanor Odongo.
Mr Odongo knows too well that to subdue such a large group of ferocious and dangerous animals alone is impossible.
That is why he decided to assemble a small battalion of battle-hardened dogs to help him keep the enemy at bay.
Nikanor Bodo and his dogs hunt for the baboons that have been destroying his crops in Akingli Village in Nyahera, Kisumu County.
Jubilee and Nasa
His brigade includes at least seven canines he has nicknamed Oyombe, Kisian, Emma, Simba, Pam, Jubilee, Nasa.
The battle does not happen only on farms. On many occasions, the primates find their way inside the houses to scavenge for food.
One time, Mr Odongo’s family battled the animals for close to two hours when they raided their house.
This is why ‘Jubilee’ and ‘Nasa’ have been deployed to guard the home 24 hours.
“When the dogs respond to my alarm, they chase the baboons away but the moment they get overwhelmed, I summon the fourth one called Simba, a very dangerous one, although it is soon hanging its boots because of the numerous injuries meted out on him in a past ambush,” he said.
The dog owners warn that only those with wit and experience can survive the battle they are waging.
His frontline soldiers sometimes get injured while chasing away the primates.
“My dogs sometimes sustain serious injuries that drain my energy and money to treat. You can see one of them was bitten near his thigh to a point that the baboon wanted to pull out its intestines, but it was treated and now it is okay,” Mr Odongo said.
It is a protracted conflict that appears to climax during harvest season.
“You find that someone has leased his farm to you for a short time, yet during the harvesting period, you have nothing to take home. It is devastating,” he lamented.
Last Saturday afternoon, the animals invaded several maize plantations, leaving behind a trail of destruction. Erick Olum, another farmer, has lost maize planted on one acre to the animals.
“We gathered as a community and chased the baboons down the hill. It has not taken even a week and they have stealthily come back and you only realise your two acres of maize was eaten when they start fighting among themselves,” he said.
Text messages
Mr Olum blamed the government and Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) for not intervening to help locals control the animals.
Dorcas Akinyi, a local farmer sorts out some of the maize cobs that she was forced to harvest from her farm prematurely to avoid losing them to marauding baboons.
With the battalion of dogs outnumbered, villagers are now calling for help from the government, lest they start killing the wild animals.
“We sometimes wonder whether we are in the Amazon forest or in our beloved country called Kenya. Our leaders should take up this matter before we do what is necessary,” said David Otieno, another resident and farm owner.
Villagers want the monkeys and baboons caged instead of being left to roam scot-free.
Mr Otieno accused KWS of not doing enough, apart from visiting once in a while and shooting in the air to scare the animals.
Kisumu and Siaya KWS Senior Warden Christine Boit did not respond to our calls and text messages seeking comment.
Kisumu West MP Olago Aluoch said he was aware of the baboon menace and had chaired two meetings in his constituency office in Ojola between senior KWS officers and community leaders to try to find a solution.
He said he provided transport for officers patrolling the area at night but the animals hide once the officers arrive.
“We are now working with KWS on a massive exercise to capture and relocate them to Ndere Island Game Park,” Mr Aluoch said.
The close contact between baboons and humans also presents a high risk for the transmission of deadly diseases.
The more these residents of Akingili confront the animals, the more they expose themselves to zoonotic diseases.
Attacks by wild baboons can infect humans with treponema pallidum, the bacterium that causes syphilis, yaws and bejel. BY DAILY NATION
