A bull belonging to Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale has killed its caretaker cum trainer.
The prized bull, Inasio, turned aggressive and killed its longtime caretaker and trainer, Kizito Moi, 46.
The tragic incident occurred in the bull’s den, with Moi’s body discovered on Sunday, January 28, 2024, displaying severe injuries on the neck, stomach, back, head, and buttocks.
Moi, who had been working with Senator Khalwale for 24 years, was dedicated to the training and well-being of Inasio, the champion of the renowned bullfighting contest in Ikolomani.
The bull, five years old and weighing 120kg, had recently been crowned the reigning champion on January 1, 2024.
Senator Khalwale expressed shock at the rare occurrence, saying that such incidents are infrequent and recalling the last similar event in Ikolomani that happened 30 years ago.
Moi’s absence during breakfast raised concerns, leading to the discovery of his body in the bull’s den.
“My farm has two sides – the dairy part and the bull. The deceased was purely working on the side of the bull – training it and taking care of its wellbeing. In the morning, he failed to report to work and everybody got concerned. My wife asked his colleagues to check on him from his house. But while they were heading to the house, they checked in the bull’s den and that is when they discovered his body lying in a pool of blood,” said Mr Khalwale.
Austin Munasia, the treasurer of Kakamega bullfighting association, called for a thorough investigation into the incident, highlighting the possibility of foul play and suggesting that the killer bull be taken to the bullfighting field for traditional rituals where people scramble for its body parts.
According to the traditions of the Idakho and Isukha sub-tribes, when a bull participating in bullfighting kills a person, its body parts are shared while the animal is alive.
Participants cut their share and run away until the bull falls dead, and the meat is then distributed randomly.
Mr Khalwale said the traditional process of managing such a disaster will commence today and will be concluded a day after the burial of the deceased.
“We are treating this as an unfortunate accident – it is something that rarely happens that a bull can kill its caretaker. We shall follow all the laid down procedures that are done in such an incident so that we don’t leave anything to chance,” he said.
In line with the tradition, a person who takes care of bulls that participate in the bullfighting contests is usually a bachelor and without children.
The politician said he was coordinating with Mr Moi’s family members to give the deceased a decent send-off.
