Chang Ming Chuang, 66, was in the company of friends taking pictures near Sopa Hotel when the hippo struck him.
The hippo’s killing has drawn condemnation from stakeholders. They accused the Kenya Wildlife Service of “acting irresponsibly”.
David Kilo, chairman Lake Naivasha Boat Owners Association, said the foreigners were attacked because they went too close to the animals’ territory.
He said farmers and hoteliers have fenced off riparian land, reducing the grazing area for wild animals.
The association said that hours earlier at around Hippo Point, another hippo killed a fisherman but government officers did nothing about it.
“We are saddened by the reaction of KWS officers who acted swiftly when a Chinese was killed but were silent when a local was involved,” he said.
Kilo, also an honorary game warden, had a bitter exchange with the KWS officers and the management of Sopa Hotel over the incident.
“On Saturday, a hippo killed a resident but KWS officers never bothered to find out what happened,” he said.
Kilo said the association and stakeholders will name and shame people who have blocked wildlife corridors and encroached on riparian land.
Friends of Lake Naivasha Peter Muthuihe said they will petition Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala over the incident.
A junior KWS officer, who is not authorised to speak to the press, however, defended the move. He said the animal was aggressive and could kill another person.
“We have ways of picking out aggressive animals. We are looking for the other hippo that killed a local fisherman,” the officer said.
