This archive report was first published on 13 June 2020.
On June 13, 2020, a devastating incident occurred at Olekisiara farm owned by Emurua-Dikir MP Johanna Ngeno, where 24 Holstein Friesian cattle worth Sh2.5 million died after feeding on a poisonous imported mineral product.
The product, which is imported from Ireland and available at local animal feeds stores, was used as a complementary feeding stuff for ruminants. However, it encapsulates feed urea, which proved to be fatal for the cattle.
According to Fredrick Mutai, the farm manager, the pedigree cattle started dropping dead one after another, minutes after feeding on the product. He stated, "The cows began shivering, foaming in the mouth and running wild before dropping dead one after the other five minutes after minerals salt."
Despite efforts to save the animals, a veterinary doctor who was called to the farm was unable to do much. The product's manufacturer, a foreign company, had printed on the 20kg bags that it was complementary feeding stuff for ruminants with an expiry date of January 28, 2022.
Another worker at the farm, Luke Evans, said they consulted the supplier based in Nakuru before using the product and followed the instructions given. However, they are now convinced that the product is to blame for the heifers' deaths.
The lawmaker has challenged the Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) to be keen on all the cattle feeds imports to shield farmers from incurring huge losses like himself.
"It's very devastating for a farmer to lose even a single cow due to the failure by Kenya Bureau of Standards to block the importation of poisonous cattle feeds and other products," Ngeno said.
