One thing that captures your attention when you enter the Coastal town of Mombasa is one rare bird species that hovers the skies.
The crow, known in Swahili as Kunguru, can make your stay in Mombasa as torturous as hell, especially the echoing waves of sound produced when they caw.
I took a walk in the town and met with a few disgruntled residents who expressed their discomfort with the presence of crows in the town.
“It is difficult to have a peaceful conversation when these birds fly around due to the disturbing noises,” said one of the residents.
Additionally, you cannot put on a white clean shirt and have a rest under a tree, unless you are comfortable walking around with the bird’s droppings on you.
Crows also have a tendency of landing their droppings on top of people’s backs, heads or shoulders and these can easily ruin your day especially if you are going to work.
It’s normal to meet women every morning in Mombasa carrying buckets and basins on their heads, loaded with food, as they head to the market.
Unfortunately, they will reach the market with half-empty buckets as Kungurus snatch “their share” along the way.
This happens even at the market where the birds pick ‘mandazi’ and ‘kaimati’ from the buckets and fly away.
Crows also have a habit of picking chicken from farmyards hence leaving you with the option of putting your poultry under lock-and-key or keeping vigil throughout the day.
Due to their rapid breeding pattern, the birds have been able to multiply in numbers faster than any other bird species thus escalating the problem further.
It is for this reason that even environmentalists are scratching their heads to find a way of taming the menacing birds.
[ATTACH=full]28490[/ATTACH]