Nakuru residents resort to sleeping with chickens as thieves target poultry

One victim from London area told Wananchi Reporting that they were frustrated after starting a small poultry farming business and steadily increasing the number of chickens in her homestead to 20 and the number of cocks to 5, only for close to all the poultry being stolen. 

“I was terrified last Friday when I woke up to find that all but three of my chickens had been stolen,” she said.

In Teachers area, another resident named Faith woke up in shock to find 12 of her hens had been stolen. 

In Ngata area, Joy a poultry keeper, said she went to run errands in town, but came back and found that all her 30 chickens had been stolen.

Some of the residents say the thieves have different tactics to ensure they do not leave any traces of their criminal activiy. 

“It is as if there are spies among us because they know exactly when a local is away from their house,” another resident said.

This, he said, has made some residents resort to sleeping with the poultry inside their houses, keeping them under chairs, beds and tables, to prevent the thieves from making away with their poultry.

Some people have lost hope in poultry keeping and have started selling them to avoid losses. Others havemoved out of their houses and moved to different residential areas.

The residents have urged the county government to enhance police patrols and arrest the culprits.