Mwea residents have resorted to extreme measures to deal with monkeys and have voiced worry over the large number of monkeys damaging food crops on their farms.
They claim that monkeys have been entering houses, damaging property, and harassing women and children.
Often, women are obliged to dress like males to drive away monkeys.
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Other households must assign young men to protect their houses and farmland from monkey invasions.
“The monkeys only tend to fear young men; I guess it’s because they chase them into the bushes or stone them.
“They don’t seem to fear us women, or children and even old men,” noted Alice Wakabari – adding that the monkeys really harass them and even make annoying gestures at them.
They'll even get extremely close to you, added Wakabari.
Some women told Wananchi Reporting that they had to dress like males, wear pants and hoodies, and even change their voices to scare off the monkeys.
It doesn't help that most young males are in school or at work in cities, leaving the elderly women to deal with the pesky primates.
According to David Karatai, a resident of Mwea, “it is only a matter of time before we are forced to beg for relief food from the government because all our crops have been destroyed by these monkeys.”
“The monkeys are very stubborn and bold to the point they enter houses to steal food,” said Esther Njeri.
The locals have asked Kenya Wildlife Services to find a lasting solution.
