Kenyan schoolgirl killed by elephant

The girl is said to have been returning home from school at Mtaa area with her fellow students and had just taken a different path when the jumbo struck.

The girl's friends tried to raise an alarm warning the girl that the elephants were ahead of her but she seems to have misheard them as she ran full tilt towards the herd.

One of the elephants incensed by the girl's screams seized her and trampled on her to death.

The second victim was in a nearby forest when he heard the girls' screams. His attempts to run away from the jumbos were futile as one of them seized him and threw him up in the air.

The man escaped when his shirt came off and he ran, leaving the elephant trampling on the shirt.

He further attributed the conflicts to human settlements which have encroached on the elephants' migratory corridors.

The area has been experiencing a drought which has reduced grass and foliage causing the elephants to venture further out of the forests.

The situation has been exacerbated by the degradation of the environment through charcoal burning and deforestation which have destroyed the animals' natural habitat.

Nderitu said a patrol unit had been sent over from Nanyuki to boost patrols in the area while an outpost has been opened at Kinango and the officers equipped with motorbikes for fast response in case of attacks by animals.

"KWS will set up a hot line through which community members can call in in case of an attack by elephants or buffaloes that are resident in the area," he said.

"A one km stretch of electric fencing at the Shimba Hills Reserve is also under repair at the cost of Ksh1 million which should keep the animals confined in the reserve," he added.