Residents of Tuala, Rongai in Kajiado East can breathe a sigh of relief after the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) on Tuesday, February 27, translocated eight buffaloes to Nairobi National Park.

Over the past two weeks, roaming herds of buffalo have been frequently spotted in residential areas, raising concerns about potential wildlife attacks and posing a threat to local residents.

School children, university students, and local residents were at risk of being attacked by the marauding buffalo herd.

KWS Vet Dr. Mukami Ruoro, while leading the exercise said the wild animals have been relocated to back to Nairobi National Park, in a secure place to avert any possible attacks in the future.

“We managed to capture all the eight buffaloes that had strayed away and translocated them to the national park in a secured area,” said Ruoro.

She said that the animals were treated with the utmost care as they were being relocated. “We are committed to protecting our wildlife and we are grateful for the hard work of the KWS Vet and capture unit. The buffaloes are now back in their natural habitat,” she said.

Cases of human-wildlife conflict in Rongai have been escalating in the recent past as a result of an increase in human population leading to encroachment of areas that wild animals initially occupied.

Residents have reported an increase in freely roaming buffalo that pose a great danger to human life in the area.

Wild buffalo are generally known to be unpredictable and can pose a threat to humans if they feel threatened or provoked. While attacks on humans are not extremely common, they can occur, especially if people get too close to or disturb the animals. It’s important to exercise caution and maintain a safe distance when encountering wild buffalo to avoid any potential danger.

Last week, the eight buffaloes were seen roaming near Oloosirkon also in Rongai in Kajiado East.

The animals have reportedly become a security threat to residents and a source of food insecurity

Three weeks ago, the KWS discovered human remains near the site where a student at Multimedia University in Kajiado was attacked by a hyena.

Following protests by students at the university, KWS admitted in a statement that they had found the remains of another person who they believed had been attacked by the said hyenas.

The two people were attacked by the hyena in Rongai and were “critically injured by hyenas in the Ole Kasasi area of Rongai, Kajiado County, KWS said.