This archive report was first published on 21 August 2021.
Published on August 21, 2021
Butchery owners in Athi River Sub County, Machakos County, are under scrutiny to reveal the source of their meat.
The move comes as the Athiriver Sub County Security Committee tackles a rise in stock theft cases, with nearly 100 livestock stolen each month since January 2021.
According to Charles Wambugu, the Athiriver Deputy County Commissioner and Security Committee Chairman, the committee has witnessed an unusual increase in stock theft cases, with over 700 livestock stolen since January.
‘We have come up with strategies to curtail the problem,’ Wambugu said.
The Sub County Security Committee has profiled all residents owning livestock in Athiriver, businessmen selling livestock, and those selling meat to create a database that will be scrutinized by the Department of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
The committee aims to unearth the source of all animals traded in the area and identify traders who buy stolen animals for slaughter.
Wambugu revealed that most livestock are sold in Kitengela, Kamulu, and Nairobi slaughterhouses and butcheries, while others are taken across the borders by thieves.
As a result of concerted efforts, nearly 400 animals have been recovered, and 12 suspects arrested and arraigned in court in connection with stock theft.
Forty names have been forwarded to the DCI for probing, suspected of liaising with livestock thieves to steal their livestock.
