Kiambu duo arrested with donkey meat
Police in Kiambu County are holding two suspects who were allegedly found with donkey meat which they planned to sell.
In a police report filed at Ndeiya Police Station, the duo; Mr Patrick Muiruri and Ms Elizabeth Wangeci Nderitu were arrested after officers pounced on them in Rwasumali Village in Ndeiya, Kiambu County.
“The officers acting on a tip-off came across the scene where the donkeys had been slaughtered. The Sub Security team was alerted about the incident and they joined the patrol team,” the report seen by this reporter read in part.
At the scene, police say that they found 30 fresh carcasses of donkeys which were lying at the scene with the meat having been removed from the bones and were being packed in sacks.
They were already loading the sacks into two waiting motor vehicles which were also impounded by the team of officers.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said they also found old donkey skeletons at the scene which is a clear indication that this has been going on for some time now.
“The suspects were arrested and placed in custody and will be arraigned in court with appropriate charges,” the report further stated.
A team of sleuths attached to the DCI headquarters processed the scene.
In 2021, the government formed a task force to investigate the illegal business in the country and the entire Rift Valley after carcasses of donkeys were found dumped in Naivasha town.
Members of the team were drawn from the Kenya Wildlife Service, Department of Public Health and Kenya Police.
The same year, the High Court cleared the way for the slaughter and sale of donkey meat across the country.
A ban had been imposed on the slaughter of donkeys for their meat in 2020.
But a slaughterhouse and a section of herders challenged the ban in court, saying that they were losing revenue.
“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.
There are four licensed abattoirs slaughtering at least 1,000 donkeys every day in Kenya.
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