Fear has gripped residents of Githuguya village in Ndia Constituency, Kirinyaga county following a sudden spate of pythons.

According to the residents, the invasive snakes are mostly slithering their way into their farms and compounds in search of food thus paralyzing their daily duties.

They say, as a result, most of them are unable to carry out their farming activities since they fear the deadly serpents can attack them unawares.

Wilson Wambugu, a resident, says for some time now he has encountered the snakes while going about his businesses.

“They have now become a menace as they have increased in numbers. It is such a scary experience,” Wilson said.

Lucy Ndegwa another resident narrates that she now no longer accesses her farm for fear of bumping into a python.

According to her, the few mango trees in her farm have become safe haven for one of the pythons ever since her neighbour cleared her bushy farm.

Ndegwa says they fear for their children who most times have to walk to schools unaccompanied. 

“It’s horrifying to even think that during this mango season, children can climb up the trees in search of fruits and are unaware of the imminent danger. Not so long ago, one of my neighbours found a python in her compound and had to run for safety,”

Another neighbour Ann Wangare echoed her sentiment saying they fear that their livestock will start dwindling in the wake of the menace at hand. She says she fears releasing her two calves to graze for they can be attacked anytime.

The residents are now calling on the government to be swift in action before the deadly serpents can cause havoc. In addition, they want the government to establish a KWS office as many human-wildlife conflict-related cases have been reported from across the county.

“It becomes difficult to rely on the KWS office in Embu as they take time to respond to our concerns. We would like to appeal to the government to establish an office in Kirinyaga county so that our worries can be solved without much delay,” another local said.

Their cries come weeks after residents from Ngando village in Ndia decried the rise of hippos.

According to them, the animals have attacked four people including a 68-year-old widow. By Richard Mugo, K24