150 cows drop dead in Nyakach under mysterious circumstances

waweru kiarie

March 28, 2018 12:36 PM

The cows could have fed on grass from a farm that had been sprayed with a chemical.

More than 150 cows collapsed and died in Nyakach, Kisumu County. An entire village is now counting losses after the biggest disaster in the area in recent times.

It is reported that the cows developed difficulties walking before dropping dead as their owners watched, moments after leaving a grazing field. The loss was estimated at Sh4 million.

One man, Mr Otieno said he lost 14 of his 24 cows. The cause of death remained unknown, although there were unconfirmed reports that the cows could have fed on grass from a farm that had been sprayed with a chemical.

Strange noise

"We are shocked. We have used the same grazing field since time immemorial and we have never witnessed such an incident," said Otieno.

He said he discovered his cows had a problem at 10pm, when he went to the cowshed to respond to a strange noise from the cattle.

"As I moved closer to the cowshed, one cow had already dropped to the ground. Before long another one dropped. We tried to save them but it was not possible. Within 30 minutes, 10 cows had died," said Otieno.

White foam

The dying and dead animals had white foam oozing from the mouth and a watery substance from the anus. At least 50 metres away, Samson Odhiambo watched 19 of his 36 cows die.

Mr Odhiambo's ordeal was the same as Otieno's, and also began slightly after 10pm. When he sought help from his neighbours, he found some of them facing the same problem.

"It was a case of one cow collapsing after another, and I counted them as they died. It is sad because this is my only source of livelihood," said Odhiambo.

waweru kiarie