A Kitui boy who survived a crocodile attack as the region battles a surge in crocodile and hippopotamus attacks has opened up about the horrifying ordeal.
Dennis Mutunga, 13, a Grade Six pupil at Katilini Comprehensive School in the county, was drawing water from a section of Athi River, which passes through the region, when the reptile struck.
“As it dragged me into the river, I grabbed its nose as I fought hard to remain on land. The plan was to suffocate it (sic) so that I escape from its jaws,” Dennis told the Nation at the Makindu Sub-County Hospital in the neighboring Makueni County Monday.
The crocodile and man tussle left Dennis bleeding profusely. He had sustained a wound on his left thigh.
Dennis Mutunga, a Grade 6 pupil at Katilini Comprehensive School in Kitui County, chats with his father, Munyao Kombo, at the Makindu Sub-County Hospital in Makueni County on September 8, 2025. The boy survived an attack by a crocodile.
Photo credit: Pius Maundu | Nation
“We have successfully managed and treated him. He is now in a stable condition. He is now recovering well. We will discharge him to go home and resume his studies,” said Makindu Sub-County Hospital Medical Superintendent Emmanuel Laiposha.
Dennis’ father, Munyao Kombo, termed his son’s survival and recovery a miracle.
He claimed the boy fought off the crocodile by pricking its eyes and attempting to muzzle it — tactics taught to children in the region as part of the local community’s indigenous knowledge.
The incident occurred at a time the region bordering River Athi is grappling with a spike in crocodile and hippopotamus attacks.
Kathulumbi Assistant Chief John Nyamai said the attacks increase during the dry season when the river becomes a major source of water for residents.
“During the dry spell when the levels of water in River Athi reduce, crocodiles and hippopotamus become hostile to humans and livestock,” Mr Nyamai told the Nation .
According to the Kenya Red Cross, Kitui and Makueni counties have experienced a fatal crocodile attack every two months for the last two years.
“Attacks by crocodiles have become very rampant along the River Athi stretch. In the last two years, the region bordering the river has recorded 28 crocodile attacks and 14 deaths,” said Solomon Musia, the coordinator of the emergency response agency in the county.
On Wednesday, a woman was recovering at the Makueni County Referral Hospital after she miraculously survived an attack by a crocodile on Sunday.
The day before, two people were mauled by crocodiles and a third mauled by a hippopotamus as they attempted to cross the river
The bodies of the two were retrieved. But the search for the boy mauled by a crocodile as he drew water from River Athi, at Kanyonga village in Makueni County, has entered the third week.
“A breakdown of the crocodile attack records in Makueni County shows most of the deaths caused by crocodiles involve children. Most of the survivors are adults. In most cases, parents send children to draw water from the crocodile-infested river. Unfortunately, children tend to drop their guard when they are along the river compared to adults,” he said.
Kenya Red Cross has backed sustained calls by the affected riparian community on the government and other development agencies to address the River Athi crocodile menace by pumping water from the river.
“The community should be able to draw water from a water source that is at least two kilometers from the crocodile-infested river,” Mr Musia said.
Makueni Governor Mutula Kilonzo Junior’s administration has embarked on pumping water from River Athi to the neighbourhood in a bid to address the menace.
“Makueni County government is prioritising the completion of key projects aimed at bringing clean and reliable water closer to communities. These initiatives include the Athi-Tunguni-Kilima, Athi-Kalawa, and Athi-Mavindini water projects, which are nearing completion,” Mr Kilonzo Jnr said.
