Body of boy killed by crocodile found

Residents of Gode Ariyo beach in Suba North Suba county during a search  for the body of a nine year old boy, Kennedy Onyango, who was killed by a crocodile at the beach on May 5, 2019. PHOTO/ JAMES OMORO

The body of a nine-year-old boy who was killed by a crocodile in Lake Victoria has been found.

The minor identified as Kennedy Onyango was killed by a crocodile at Gode Ariyo beach in Suba North Suba County on Sunday.

Onyango was attacked by the crocodile at the lake shore when he went to wash his clothes in the company of other children.

The body was found two days later [PHOTO/ JAMES OMORO]

According to Homa Bay County, Beach Management Network chairperson Edward Oremo said the crocodile was hiding at a point where the minor could not notice it before the attack.

The crocodile disappeared with the boy prompting relatives, friends and the Kenya Wildlife Service official led by Homa Bay county Warden Grace Wendot to search for the body.

On Tuesday, the boy’s body was found 500 meters from the beach where he was attacked. The body had begun decomposing near papyrus reeds in the lake.

The body was moved to near the lakeshore to wait for the police to take it.

What surprised the residents is that the crocodile emerged and made attempts to grab the body back into the lake.

Residents and KWS officials had to throw stones to scare off the crocodile that went back into the water.

“The crocodile wanted to grab the body back but we threw stones at it before it retreated back into the lake,” said Pius Ochieng’, area Beach Management Unit chairman.

The body was taken to Homa Bay county referral hospital mortuary.

The boy’s death led to the death of a 23-year-old man who died in the process of looking for his body.

Anthony Odila slipped from the boat he was paddling during the search for the minor’s body.

 Odila’s body was moved to Kirindo MED 25 mortuary.