This archive report was first published on 20 July 2019.
On July 20, 2019, the Health ministry analyzed 40 samples of meat from random establishments in Nairobi following revelations that some meat sellers were harming buyers by using preservatives.
According to certificates of analysis and examination, two of the six contaminated samples were collected from Naivas supermarket's outlets, including Gateway Mall in Syokimau.
The minced meat samples were found to have sodium metabisulfite, a whitish, powdery compound commonly known as dawa ya nyama, at levels 31 times higher than what is accepted by law.
‘I am of the opinion that the sample (minced meat) contains sodium metabisulfite and does not comply with the Act,’ said Mr Joram Chelashaw, the public analyst who certified the samples.
Naivas Supermarket suspended the sale of red meat across its stores countrywide hours after Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua ordered the closure of its butchery sections in the county.
City health officials closed down six meat retailers, including Muthaiga Fine Meats Ltd, Tuskys Buruburu, Naivas Mavoko, and Tuskys Kenyatta Avenue, after tests showed harmful amounts of preservatives.
