Tragedy has struck drought-ravaged Wajir South, where the harsh grip of climate change has turned daily survival into a perilous struggle for pastoralist communities.
Herder Adow Ahmed, 45, lost his life in a brutal encounter with a hyena, a stark reminder of the dangers faced by families trying to eke out a living amid worsening drought conditions.
His death has left his father, Ibrahim Duale, and the rest of the family in deep grief.
The herder had been missing for 11 days before his skeletal remains were discovered on Monday evening in dense bushland far from the safety of home.
Residents say Ahmed had ventured into remote grazing areas in search of pasture, as water and forage have become increasingly scarce. Such scarcity has forced herders deeper into dangerous terrain, where encounters with wildlife have become more frequent—and, in this tragic case, deadly.
Authorities believe the ongoing drought pushed hyenas closer to human settlements in search of food and water, putting pastoralists at greater risk.
“I received the news of his death on Monday evening. His remains were brought in a sack,” his grieving father said.
Ahmed had been working for a local livestock trader, looking after camels for the past two years.
The family, staying in a hotel in Wajir town as they struggle to cope, recounts the heartbreaking final moments.
“We were told he went out alone to search for a missing camel. He never came back from that mission,” his father said.
Desperate searches through the parched, unforgiving landscape yielded no hope, and the herder never returned alive.
Ahmed may have been at his weakest when the attack occurred, suffering from extreme thirst and hunger after days in the sun-scorched bush.
“It is possible he was attacked when he was exhausted, thirsty and hungry,” his father said quietly, struggling to contain his sorrow.
Ahmed, the second-born of nine siblings, leaves behind a family grappling with shock and loss.
They are now appealing to the Kenya Wildlife Service and the government for support and compensation for his death.
“What has happened has happened,” his father said.
“We are requesting the government to help us in whichever way possible.”
The death came amid a worsening humanitarian crisis in Wajir South, where the National Drought Management Authority reports that 174,200 people are in urgent need of food assistance.
The constituency is the worst-hit in the county, with Wajir West not far behind.
As the drought continues to tighten its grip, the death of Ahmed is a stark reminder of the human cost of climate-related hardship.
For families like his, each day in the drought-stricken lands of Wajir is a fight for survival, one where nature itself has become an unpredictable and unforgiving adversary.
by STEPHEN ASTARIKO
