Kajiado women praise stray lioness, Makena

Women in Ongata Rongai have urged Kenya Wildlife Services to stop hunting Makena, the dog-eating lioness that made headlines last week.

The lioness, which has eaten six dogs in Ongata Rongai estates, has been praised by local women, who even referred to her as their heroine.

They claim their husbands are now home by 6 pm every day, as Makena is restoring families to a "factory setting."

Some women in Kitengela and Kajiado towns are even praying for Makena to visit them to restore homes and ensure their husbands come home at a "good" time to be with their families.

Mercy Joshua stated on her Facebook account that Makena is a blessing in disguise, as families in Ongata Rongai remain stable.

Purity Gikunda commented, “While we are happy with this development, there is also another problem. Some men may not go home after 6 pm because they will risk going home for fear of Makena.” Gikunda added that the men might prefer spending the night where they are for their safety.

Regina Muranja, a Facebook user, said, “Long live Makena. You are our heroine.”

Komoi Perset, another Facebook user, expressed excitement that Makena is bringing men home early.

Sarah Karanja, a resident of Kajiado town, hopes Makena will visit her area to sort things out.

The women have asked KWS to stop tracking down the lioness for their own good.

Some women said that since the reports of Makena emerged, they are living peacefully with their husbands.

“They now bring home the meat they would have eaten in bars. They come home earlier than ever. This is good for us,” said Sabina Chege.

Reacting to the women's comments on social media, Kinayia Ole Moinkett and Leonard Ole Koinari said they would hunt down and kill Makena with their bare hands. Both insisted that a cat named Makena cannot force them to rush home in the evenings like babies.

“We have lived with big cats, and they know us well. If our women use them to scare us, we will kill all of them and retain our status quo,” said Kinari.

Meanwhile, the KWS says it immediately dispatched its Human-Wildlife Conflict (HWC) team to Ongata Rongai following CCTV footage circulating on social media that showed a lioness scaling a perimeter wall in a private residence last Wednesday.

In a viral video, a lioness was seen making off with a pedigree dog in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

KWS spokesman Paul Jinaro said the lioness was not in the vicinity of the incident and suspected she might have had cubs hidden elsewhere.

Jinaro reassured area residents that the HWC team is still patrolling the locality, with backup from the more seasoned Problem Animal Management Unit (PAMU).

“The Service is also alerting the public that, during heavy rains such as those witnessed in Nairobi over the past few months, herbivores migrate through the unfenced southern part of Nairobi National Park towards human settlements like Rongai, Kitengela, Athi-Kapiti, and the larger Kajiado and its environs, due to waterlogged grounds and overly-long grass which provide hideouts for predators,” Jinaro said.

Consequently, he said, carnivores also migrate in pursuit of the herbivores, leading to unfortunate incidents such as the predation on domestic dogs seen in the CCTV footage.

He noted that over eighty per cent of the perimeter of Nairobi National Park is fenced, making much of Nairobi safe from wildlife raids. However, the ongoing rains have caused significant wildlife displacement, leading to the risk of unexpected encounters in community wildlife-prone areas.

Jinaro advised residents in these areas to exercise caution, especially at night.