Africa-Press – Kenya. The government has declared war on people engaged in the trade of banned animal products, unveiling 100 days of a coordinated effort to tackle the menace.
The exercise which begins immediately will see multi-agency teams deployed along highways and major roads to enforce stringent rules and regulations in the livestock sector.
Interior and National Administration Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo announced that the operation is part of the state’s efforts to disrupt the intricate web of cattle rustling business.
The PS said the government had declared total war on the trade of all banned animal products including the slaughter of prohibited animals like donkeys.
The exercise will be coordinated by the Ministry of Interior and National Administration and will involve officers from the ministries of Agriculture and Livestock and Health, and county governments.
PS Omollo regretted that there has been an increase in livestock theft, unregulated trade in animal products and contamination of food products that have resulted in deaths.
“We are also witnessing a worrying pattern of livestock thefts particularly in Rift Valley, Eastern and Central regions and meat seized while being transported to Nairobi and other regions,” Omollo said.
The PS said that the theft is linked to the emergence of bandits and cattle rustlers selling meat to unscrupulous traders and transnational criminal gangs.
The criminal gangs and bandits, Omollo said, are smuggling and trafficking animal products such as skins across borders linked with other illicit wildlife trade.
“In response to these threats, a 100-day Rapid Response Initiative (RRI) has been launched aimed at enforcing existing rules and regulations in the livestock sector,” Omollo said.
The PS directed all county governments to form multi-agency teams comprising police, National Administration Officers, National Intelligence Service, County Public Health Officers and Veterinary officers to enforce the rules.
The teams will also co-opt relevant officers from regulatory agencies with specific terms of reference to dismantle the criminal gangs thriving in the trade of animal products.
The multi-agency teams are required to identify hotspots for the illegal slaughter of all livestock and to arrest culprits while dismantling all the criminal syndicates involved.
“Suspicion of consumption of donkey meat has raised concerns about the origin of these animals despite the government having banned donkey slaughter in 2020 and rendering designated abattoirs non-operations,” Omollo said.
The PS said that according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, animal products pose food safety hazards if not properly handled.
“We must adhere to food safety standards and health practices from production to consumption,” he said.
The Principal Secretary for Livestock Development Jonathan Mueke said:
“We have seen a gap in enforcement of livestock sector rules and regulations and have come up with this initiative that will target animal product facilities as well as our transport highways.”
PS Mueke called on the multi-agency to effectively play their role to develop a robust whole-of-government coordination approach for effective enforcement and appreciated the essential leaders provided by Regional Commissioners and County Commissioners.
The meeting was also attended by the Director of CriminalInvestigations Mohamed Amin, Director of Public Health, MaureenKamene, Regional Commissioners, County Commissioners, police commanders, and stakeholders in the livestock industry
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