Lobby: Put ban on donkey slaughter in BBI report
Donkey owners hold a banner during a demo in Meru on March 3, 2020. PHOTO | CHARLES WANYORO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Last week, Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya banned commercial slaughter of donkeys in a move to stop theft.
Owners have welcomed last week’s ban on slaughter of donkeys but want the move included in the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) report to safeguard the animals’ future.
Led by Meru Donkey Welfare Association chairman Robert Mutethia, they said the ban by the Ministry of Agriculture would help improve livelihoods of donkey owners in rural areas.
Last week, Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya banned commercial slaughter of donkeys in a move to curb theft.
Mr Mutethia said over 1,000 donkeys are slaughtered weekly.
“Many donkeys are being stolen and killed haphazardly. We are here to thank President Uhuru Kenyatta and CS Peter Munya for the directive. We now want it in the BBI so that it can be entrenched,” he said.
Ms Ann Karambu, a farmer from Naari, Meru, said many women are now idle after they lost their donkeys and young people are now being involved in crime.
“The theft of donkeys had a spiral effect; many people are now jobless and could go into drugs and crime. Prices of donkeys should also be increased so that they are out of reach for slaughter houses,” she said.
Ms Eunice Wambui, a farmer from Embu, said the beast of burden was depended upon by many households in the region.
