By Talarus Chesang
A starving family of a missing 13-year old school girl who was killed and feasted on by fierce crocodiles in Lake Baringo is crying for help.
The body of the girl Cherop Sangut, who was a grade three pupil at Katuwit Primary School, is still missing after three months since she was attacked and pulled into the flooded lake on 9th August 2021.
It was around 3 pm when the girl together with her two colleagues proceeded to wash their clothes and bath at the shores of the lake before the fatal incident where the beast emerged, attacked the girl and pulled her deep inside the lake.
Her companion tried to pull her legs away from the jaws of the beast but the energetic crocodile overpowered them.
Katuwit Primary School head teacher Samuel Korir described the girl as disciplined, jovial, clean and hardworking.
“She was in a jovial mood that day, she even told her class teacher she will be number one to arrive school the following day,” Korir said.
The head teacher lamented that lack of community boat delayed and frustrated the search operation in efforts to recover the body of the girl which is still missing to date.
“My heart is yet to believe my beautiful first born daughter is dead and gone,” bereaved mother Toyoi Lokodong said on Tuesday.
Lokodong who termed her daughter as hardworking said she had never missed school, adding that she used to wake up every morning even a times without minding breakfast to get to school early.
She said since the incident occurred she has been busy combing around the shores of the lake in case strong winds might push any of her remains for them to find closure.
“So she can at least be given a decent send-off” Lokodong said.
She was backed by the deceased father David Sangut who said that the family has surrendered everything to God and government’s efforts.
“I have already made an appeal to the government hoping to fast tract compensation for the mysterious loss of my daughter,” Sangut said.
Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) Baringo Deputy Warden David Cheruiyot said the situation was tricky as it was the first incident to occur where the body of the victim went missing totally.
“As a department we normally rely on some pieces of body parts as exhibits to confirm if actually the death was as a result of a wild animal attack,” Cheruiyot said.
He declared that the girl will be considered missing awaiting a death declaration notice by the police at least in the next 7years.
“We are only urging the bereaved family to be patient as the lawful processes are being followed,” he said.
Starvation
Besides the grief, the 35-year old jobless mother says she used to doing menial jobs like fetching and selling firewood to feed her three kids.
“My mind is still disturbed and I lost the energy completely to do any manual activity to feed my family,” she said.
In spite of herself looking hungry, weak and emaciated, she breast feeds her one year old child who appears sickly and severely malnourished.
“There is no food in the house, I am so hungry and so my child just suckles my breasts empty as I just supplement her saliva with pure water” she said.
The hungry, sickly-looking child was crying uncontrollably when the media visited the family in their rickety polythene-roofed house in remote Katuwit village off the edge of the flooded Lake Baringo.
Lokodong further said she cannot afford to take her sick child to the hospital as she lacks money.
“I am also feeling sick, I need to seek medication but I cannot make it,” she said.
She therefore appealed to well-wishers and the government to help her in any way possible to access medical services and foodstuff to feed her starving family.
A relative Alvine Sangut said it is true the family has suffered psychologically since they lost the child to the crocodiles.
“She has become confused and looks like she lost all hope in life. The family actually needs an urgent intervention before losing another life to hunger,” Sangut reiterated.
