Nairobi residents are still reeling in shock after a massive snake was killed in the heart of the Central Business District (CBD) early Sunday evening, December 28, raising disturbing questions about wildlife control, urban safety and whispered claims of witchcraft-linked business rituals.
Pedestrians outside the ever-busy Kencom House froze in disbelief at around 7:00 pm as a street boy—popularly known as one of the CBD “chambes”—dragged the lifeless body of a huge snake along the pavement. What should have been an ordinary Sunday evening in a 24-hour city instantly turned into a scene of panic, speculation and viral chatter.
“This is not a small lizard from ushago,” one stunned onlooker remarked. “This is a proper snake.”
The incident has ignited a firestorm of questions: How could such a large reptile survive undetected in Nairobi’s concrete jungle? And more troubling—where was the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS)?
Nairobi CBD is one of the most surveilled and heavily trafficked spaces in the country, bustling day and night with workers, hawkers, security personnel and CCTV cameras. Yet this reptile allegedly roamed—or hid—long enough to raise fears that it may not have wandered in accidentally.
Some speculate the snake could have been in transit from the bushier Eastlands estates, possibly slithering from areas near the former Muthurwa Railway quarters, which still border patches of overgrown land. But skeptics say the snake’s sheer size would have drawn attention long before reaching the CBD.
As videos and photos circulated online under the caption “BREAKING NEWS FROM CBD!!!”, darker theories emerged. Was the snake kept deliberately—perhaps as part of witchcraft rituals to “guard” or enhance business?
“Why keep such a reptile in the middle of CBD?” one Nairobi resident posed. “Ama ndio ilikuwa inachunga biashara?”
Others questioned whether Nairobi’s growing bedsitter culture has now extended to keeping exotic and dangerous pets in cramped apartments, far from the eyes of authorities.
“If this snake had an owner, then loss is loss—my condolences,” another bystander quipped sarcastically. “But we must ask: how do you tame an animal this big and KWS does not know?”
As the snake’s body was dragged away, murmurs rippled through the gathered crowd: Who owns this snake? Where did it come from? And are there more?
Calls are growing for authorities to investigate and for anyone with information to come forward.
“If anyone knows the owner of this snake,” one concerned resident appealed, “kindly let us know so that we can visit his premises and confirm how many more snakes are still remaining.”
With Nairobi’s population already grappling with crime, congestion and rising living costs, residents say they should not also have to worry about sharing the city with hidden reptiles.
For now, the giant snake mystery remains unsolved—leaving Nairobians uneasy and asking one unsettling question: Are we living in a city of humans only, or humans and reptiles?
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