Baringo: A pungent smell greets anyone approaching the Chemogoch community water dam, the only water source for the community and their animals.
The stench, enough to kill one’s appetite, wafts from effluent at the nearby donkey abattoir.
Since the licensing of the slaughterhouse by the Government three months ago, the area has become synonymous with hundreds of donkeys delivered to the Chinese-owned Goldox Donkey Abattoir.
And the residents are not a happy lot.
Evelyn Kigen claims donkey faecal matter can cause tetanus if someone with an open wound steps on the dung.
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“We are in real danger here but the Government saw the money. Something needs to be done before the community living around the slaughterhouse suffers the consequences of the ill-thought-out licensing of donkey slaughterhouse here,” said Ms Kigen.
Clash with investor
Dr Francis Langat, a medical doctor, says people with wounds who step on donkey faeces face the risk of contracting tetanus if they are not vaccinated within three days.
“Donkey faecal matter is up to 70 per cent tetanus carrier... The disease begins when the tetanus bacterium enters the body, usually through a wound or cut that has come into contact with the spores of the bacterium,” explained Dr Langat.
Ms Kigen further claimed donkey urine causes water to develop strange smell, forcing the community to seek alternative watering points for their animals.
“Community livestock have for years grazed along the road whenever the area experienced pasture shortage. These donkeys have cleared everything and are now crossing to private farms in search of pasture. The community will clash with the investor soon,’’ she said.
Also up in arms are motorists plying the Nakuru-Kabarnet road, who have petitioned the owner of the abattoir to look for an alternative holding bay for hundreds of donkeys driven to the slaughterhouse daily to avoid causing accidents.
In the last two weeks, there have been three accidents where vehicles plying the route hit donkeys near the abattoir.
“The donkeys are all over the road as owners wait to deliver them to the abattoir, which has no holding zone,” said Peter Kipruto, a public service vehicle driver.
“This is a disaster and as motorists we wonder if those in authority are not seeing the same. Innocent motorists will be killed at this spot unless something is done,’’ said Patrick Rotich, another driver.
The driver said the investor should have acquired a parcel of land far away from the busy road.
One of the many herders employed to take care of the animals and paid Sh400 per day, described the situation as a time bomb.
“They are not like cattle or goats. These are aggressive animals that can engage in day-long fights over females. Road users who are not familiar with the spot are forced to apply emergency brakes to avoid running over them,” said the herder.
Lu Donglin, the proprietor of the Sh300 million slaughterhouse that opened in April, said they were in the process of acquiring land to be used as holding bay for the donkeys.
Mr Lu said the supply of the animals outweigh their daily slaughtering capacity of 100 donkeys, thus the challenge.
Residents however say the licensing of the abattoir was done without following due process and those who gave it a clean bill of health should be questioned.
“How could they license it without factoring all the health hazards that the slaughterhouse is now posing?” posed Reuben Kirui.
Kirui wondered why the region was chosen yet the area has no donkeys and demanded that the environmental impact assessment report of the abattoir be made public.
