The Ministry of Environment has reported that 8 people lost their lives as a result of the unusual rising water levels on Lake Naivasha.
11 others are currently nursing serious injuries from hippo attacks in the area.
“It is estimated that close to 8,338 households have been affected and over 28,428 people displaced,” Environment Principal Secretary Chris Kiptoo stated.
He further revealed that the rapid rise in water levels across the lakes in the Rift Valley was last witnessed in 1963.
Water levels at Lake Naivasha have reclaimed at least 50-100m of land. Flower farms set up on riparian land are currently teeming with hippos.
The animals have been chewing up everything on their path, with footage emerging showing two of them feasting inside a greenhouse
Hippos are amongst the most dangerous animals in the world due to their aggressive and unpredictable nature.
A week ago, a disturbing video went viral showing a girl being pulled into Lake Victoria by a giant hippo on the shores of Mbita.
Residents watched helplessly with some throwing rocks at the hippo, unfortunately, this only drove the animal deep into the waters with the girl clasped in its jaws.
In Naivasha, the environment PS was quick to assure residents that the government would move swiftly to address the human and wildlife conflict that has been brought about by the rising water levels.
Baringo county is still coming to terms with the floods with at least 368.75 kilometers of road totally swallowed up by the rising tide. At least 4,000 learners from 15 schools are uncertain of their future after their classrooms were submerged
The rising lake levels in the Rift Valley have sparked fears of an impending ecological disaster.
Scientists have served up different explanations for the phenomenon, ranging from siltation and increased rainfall to the shifting of tectonic plates deep in the earth’s crust.
The affected water bodies include Lakes Baringo, Bogoria, Nakuru, Elementaita, Naivasha, Turkana, Logipi and Solai.
Watch the footage of the hippos chewing threw a flower farm below:
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