A nine years pupil was killed by a pack of hyenas in Nyacaba village in Juja, in Kiambu County leaving villagers in a state of worry.
The third-grade pupil had been attending a private school in the area and was reported missing on Thursday.
On Saturday, his clothes were found abandoned in a nearby thicket.
According to Gideon Nderitu, a resident in the village, the young boy called Njoroge Mariga vanished from his home on Thursday night while his mother who is a doctor was still at work.
According to reports, his clothes were found by quarry workers who reported for work early in the morning.
Area residents led by Mary Muthoni and Martin Mwaura, a bishop, said that the incident has made them unable to walk around at night freely due to fear following the attack.
They claimed that three other hyenas had been roaming the village and they feared they could be on a mission to attack again.
Concerned villagers revealed that Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) staff have not been doing enough to contain the problem despite repeated requests by villagers to have the animals removed from the area. The villagers demanded quick involvement to curb a worsening situation.
“It is terribly tragic that wild animals killed an innocent child, but we have a government and officers tasked with ensuring that the dangerous creatures remain in the forest. We cannot handle what we have witnessed today,” said Muthoni.
“We are exhausted…we do not wish to experience these cases any longer,” said Bishop Mwaura.
In a similar incident, eight hyenas attacked a 35-year-old man from the neighbouring town of Athi.
Two people had also been attacked by hyenas in another incident in the villages of Juja, Thika and Witeithie respectively.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) urged Juja and Thika communities about the loitering animals that are responsible for the fatal attacks on the locals.