A family in Ngong is in mourning after Dismas Kogo, a hyena attack survivor, died by suicide on January 1, 2025, following years of frustration over unpaid compensation from the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS).
Dismas, a security guard, was attacked five years ago, leaving him with severe leg injuries and the loss of a finger.
After the attack, he applied for compensation from KWS, but his pleas were ignored. His condition left him unable to work effectively or pursue his dream of joining the army, a reality that weighed heavily on him.
“Mimi ni mtu nimezaliwa kwa single mum… nilikuwa nijoin army na nilikuwa sure ntaingia. Sasa hivi siwezi fanya kitu,” Dismas said in a December 2024 interview with Citizen TV.
KWS soldiers during a past event
His voice, filled with pain and frustration, revealed the toll of waiting years for help that never came.
The family sold everything to fund his treatment, hoping compensation would eventually come to ease their burden. It didn’t. His uncle, David Kiprito Leting, believes the delay was too much for him.
“Ako kwa jeneza sasa, lakini compensation yake bado haijafika,” Leting said, struggling to hold back tears.
Dismas was found hanging in his Ngong home on New Year’s Day. Police recovered a rope and his last worn clothes as evidence.
CS Rebbeca Miano visits KWS headquaters
Despite repeated inquiries from Citizen TV, KWS has remained silent about his case, further compounding the family’s anguish.
This tragic story has sparked public outrage over the slow and opaque compensation process for victims of wildlife attacks.
For Dismas, the delay cost him not just his livelihood, but his life. His family is now left asking one haunting question: Could his death have been prevented if someone had listened?
