A businessman, Frederick Omungu, in Nakuru, was shocked when he arrived at work on Wednesday morning and found a hyena in his shop.
Speaking to BBC, Omungu said some neighbors came and identified the animal as a hyena, which, under certain conditions, can attack humans.
“It clearly wasn’t a dog – I thought it was a leopard or something else. I was shocked and stayed far away. I’ve heard hyenas are dangerous and can kill people.”
In less than 30 minutes, dozens of residents had gathered around his stall to see the stranded animal hiding under the makeshift counter.
It is unclear how the animal ended up in his stall in a populated area.
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Mr Omungu, who sells miraa, soft drinks, sweets, and groundnuts, said he had closed his business at around 20:00 local time (17:00GMT) the previous night and had arrived at around 07:00 the following morning.
The area is not far from the Lake Nakuru National Park, where the hyena is suspected to have strayed at night.
Wardens from the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) later captured the animal.
In Nakuru, some residents have blamed the KWS for not taking enough measures to stop the animals from crossing the park into public areas.
But Mark Cheruiyot, a senior KWS warden from the county, told the BBC the fence, which at times has been vandalised, was being upgraded and it was unfortunate that the animal had got out of the park.
Mr Omungu said he was worried for the safety of children at a nearby primary school that is even closer to the park than his shop.
“Some of these children get to school around 5am… I thank God that the hyena did not harm anyone,” he said.
Another Nakuru resident, Jacinta Njeri, told local media that it was not the first time a hyena had been spotted in the area. She said people were afraid, especially for their children.
Last month, Kenya’s Tourism Minister Alfred Mutua said the recent high number of hyena attacks on people and livestock resulted from the mammals' overpopulation.
Animal health authorities confirmed three weeks ago that three hyenas that attacked and mauled people in different locations had been infected with rabies.
