13-year-old Dennis Mutunga Munyao, a Grade Six pupil at Katilini Primary School, who survived a Crocodile attack at River Athi. Photo Andrew Mbuva 
By Andrew Mbuva
For 13-year-old Dennis Mutunga Munyao, a Grade Six pupil at Katilini Primary School, Sunday, August 24th will forever remain etched in memory — not as just another day fetching water from River Athi, but the day he stared death in the face and lived to tell the tale.
Dennis had just filled his jerricans and tied them onto his donkeys when disaster struck.
“Something suddenly bit my leg,” he recalls, his voice still shaky. “When I turned, I realized it was a crocodile. I quickly grabbed its nose tightly before it could drag me into the pool of water. That is when it released me.”
The young survivor says he had once heard that the best way to escape a crocodile attack is to hold its nostrils shut to cut off its oxygen supply. “I was able to prove that theory,” Dennis adds with a faint smile.
His father, Munyao Kombo, says the family is grateful that Dennis is alive.
“When my boy was attacked, we rushed him to Katilini dispensary before he was referred to Makindu Level 5 Hospital in Makueni County. I thank God he is out of danger,” he says.
Kombo, however, laments the constant danger residents face as they rely solely on River Athi for water.
“We face this risk every day because there is no other source of water. We plead with the government to pump water to higher, safer grounds so that people can fetch water without risking their lives,” he appeals.
According to Kombo, crocodile attacks are not new in the area. A recent incident involved a GSU officer who narrowly escaped death but sustained serious injuries.
At Makindu Sub-County Hospital, where Dennis received treatment, Medical Superintendent Dr. Emmanuel Leiposha says the boy is now stable and recovering well.
“We received a 13-year-old boy with crocodile bite injuries. He was successfully managed and is now out of danger. This is not the first case; we frequently receive victims of human-wildlife conflict, especially from River Athi,” Dr. Leiposha notes.
He lauded ongoing county government efforts to mitigate such risks by initiating water projects and erecting electric fences in areas bordering national parks.
“Hopefully, by the end of this week, we will be discharging the boy so that he can return to his studies,” he adds.
For residents of Katilini Village in Kitui County, crocodile attacks have become an ever-present threat. Dennis’s survival is a miracle, but his story underscores a deeper problem — the daily risk communities face in their quest for water.
Until safer alternatives are put in place, River Athi remains both a lifeline and a lurking danger.
