Veterinary board says slums major hub for Illegal meat trade
According to the board, the situation has been exacerbated by the distribution of counterfeit livestock movement permits.
Informal settlements have emerged as major consumers of uninspected meat, posing a significant health risk, according to the Kenya Veterinary Board.
Dr Benson Kibore, a spokesperson for the board, highlighted that Nairobi, Kiambu, and Nakuru are particularly affected by this alarming trend.
"Uninspected meat represents a substantial threat to food security in these areas," Dr. Kibore warned.
He noted that over 50 per cent of Nairobi's population resides in informal settlements, where this potentially hazardous meat often reaches unsuspecting consumers.
"A case of infected meat could kill tens of people and hence the move to up our game as we deal with all those involved in this illegal trade," Kibore said.
He was speaking on Saturday during a stakeholder's workshop in Naivasha.
According to the board, the situation has been exacerbated by the distribution of counterfeit livestock movement permits.
Kibore explained that these permits were being issued by impostors or retired veterinary officers.
"We recently rescued over 1,000 donkeys that had been ferried from Kajiado and were meant to be slaughtered in the Kedong area where there is an illegal slaughterhouse," he said.
In addition, Dr Allen Azegele from the Department of Livestock who also acknowledged that informal settlements were the main markets for the uninspected meat, stated that the government was collaborating with stakeholders and non-governmental organisations to combat the illegal trade, which has jeopardised the safety of many individuals.
"This initiative is meant to address the safety of livestock products as some traders are putting the lives of Kenyans in danger through the sale of the uninspected meat," he said.
The report comes in the wake of reports that cases of smuggling of donkey skin are on the rise in the country, with the meat being ferried to major towns.
Donkey slaughter was legalised in Kenya in 2012, leading to a rapid decimation of the animal population and cross-border theft.
The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics said in 2019 that the country's donkey population had decreased over the previous 10 years, from 1.8 million donkeys in 2009 to 1.17 million in 2019.
In February 2020, former Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture Peter Munya issued a moratorium on donkey slaughter due to their diminishing numbers.
As a result, owners of Star Brilliant (Naivasha), Goldox Kenya (Mogotio), Silzha (Turkana), and Fuhai (Machakos) continued with their operations until the suit was heard and determined.
Kenya then had four abattoirs slaughtering at least 1,000 donkeys every day.
However, in May 2021 the High Court in Kenya cleared the way for the slaughter and sale of donkey meat in Kenya.
The court removed the prohibition for the slaughter of donkeys after the state failed to respond to an application challenging the legal notice.
"The government has failed to sufficiently defend this case and this court quashes the Legal Notice 63 of 2020 as it violates the rights of Star Brilliant," said Justice Richard Mwongo in his ruling.
He added that the state's legal notice violated the rights of Star Brilliant, the petitioner.
This was after a successful application by Star Brilliant Slaughterhouse that sought to bar former Agriculture CS, Peter Munya and Ex-Attorney General Kihara Kariuki from enforcing a legal notice that banned the slaughtering of donkeys.
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