This archive report was first published on 27 July 2019.
Kenya's Sh28 Billion Donkey Slaughter Loss ¶
Published on July 27, 2019
A staggering Sh28.3 billion in revenue has been lost by Kenya over the last three years due to the slaughter of donkeys that could have been used for income generation.
According to a survey conducted in Turkana, Nakuru, Machakos, Baringo, Narok, Kajiado, and Kirinyaga counties, a total of 75,494 working donkeys were slaughtered.
Animal welfare organizations are now calling for a ban on the export of donkey skins and associated products from Kenya.
Between 2016 and 2018, a total of 301,977 donkeys were slaughtered, with 6.9 percent being slaughtered in 2016, 40.3 percent in 2017, and 52.8 percent in 2018.
The donkey was gazetted as a food animal in 1999, with the aim of curbing bush slaughter and improving food safety.
Four export slaughterhouses were licensed between 2016 and 2018, including Goldox Kenya Ltd in Baringo, Star Brilliant Ltd in Nakuru, Silzha Ltd in Turkana, and Fuhai Machakos Trading Co. Ltd in Machakos.
