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City Hall scales up killing mission of stray dogs in Nairobi


City Hall has embarked on an exercise to eliminate and impound stray and roaming dogs in 70 wards across the capital city.

The campaign, which is aimed at taming the growing menace of the canine in the county, enters its second week after starting last week May 28, 2019.

The move followed an announcement by the county government in April that it had set aside Sh100 million toward the control of the population of the stray dogs numbering 50,000, which are posing serious risk to city dwellers.

The exercise, which will cover all the 17 sub-counties in Nairobi, will take 138 days.

Nairobi County director of Veterinary Services Dr Murithi Muhari has stated that all stray dogs will be impounded by the team.

DOG MENACE

He pointed out that currently the county is experiencing a roaming menace where people continue to be bitten, injured and killed.

“The City County Dog Control and Welfare Act, 2015 requires all persons keeping dogs in Nairobi to acquire dogs licenses and renew them annually. These dogs must be vaccinated first,” said Dr Muhari in a letter dated May 13 and addressed to the Director of Administration.

According to the letter, the exercise was to start in Dagoretti North for 10 days before proceeding to neighbouring Dagoretti South for six days.

Thereafter, it was to be scaled up to Westlands for eight days, Embakasi South for six days, Embakasi Central for eight days, Embakasi East six days, Embakasi West for 10 days and Embakasi North for eight days.

ANIMAL PROTECTION

Then the team will move to Kamukunji sub-County for 10 days, Roysambu for six days, Kasarani for eight days, Ruaraka six days and Makadara for eight days.

Lastly, the exercise will move to Lang’ata for 12 days, Kibra for eight days, Mathare for 10 days and Starehe for eight days.

Even as the exercise continues London-based World Animal Protection group last month opposed the campaign calling for the county to instead vaccinate and sterilise the dogs rather than killing them to control their population.

“Vaccination will need to be done alongside sterilisation programme too, but it could be a fantastic mass dog vaccination scheme with this kind of budget,” the organisation said.