A 69 year-old man identified as Masauna Bwahewi was eaten by hyenas inside the Serengeti National Park after falling unconscious due to hunger and exhaustion in what was described as his mission to hunt for hidden treasure in the conservancy.
The late Bwahewi, a former resident of Kyandege Village of Bunda District in Mara Region, is believed to have gone without food for over five days after being lost in the endless plains of Serengeti where he was hunting for minerals.
His family reports that Masauna Bwahewi had left home several days earlier together with a friend from Rorya, whose name they could not remember.
The two set out in search of gold and other valuable minerals that some local mystical shaman had assured them they can be found at a certain location within the Serengeti National Park.
Apparently, the two men did not carry provisions, including, food and water during their treasure trove mission in the protected conservancy, possibly thinking it will be a matter of simply picking up the ‘pieces of eight’ and turning back.
But they didn’t. In fact, only one of them managed to get out of the bushy savannah, alive.
The deceased’s young brother, Samson Bwahewi told local journalists that the person who accompanied Bwahewi into the Serengeti wilderness, had convinced the deceased that there were tons of minerals concealed in the Mbalageti hills inside the park.
At least a local seer, shaman or witchdoctor vowed to have spiritually traced the treasure to the Mbalageti area.
But the alleged, King Solomon’s mines in the park, proved to be too far away in the hills and the party of two treasure hunters faced starvation and dehydration.
When things became tough, the man from Rorya went back to seek help but collapsed near the main road where he was rescued by a team of pack rangers who were on patrol and taken to the Bunda Police Station.
The Police then contacted the deceased’s family who asked for permission from the park authorities to search for Bwahewi in the Serengeti plains, being led by the mysterious man from Rorya.
The Chairperson of Kyandege Village, Julius Matoto who accompanied the search team said they eventually discovered the remains of Masauna Bwahewi.
It seems the late Masauna, after collapsing due to starvation and dehydration, fell prey to some marauding wild animals, precisely hyenas that consumed most parts of his anatomy.
The family carried the little remains of the deceased and buried him adjacent to his house.
Village Chairperson, Mr Matoto explained that the person who accompanied Masauna in his treasure hunting mission of Serengeti was a stranger in the area and that people should take precautions against aliens who fool them into trespassing into wildlife-filled protected areas to hunt for riches.