Kenyan man charged with being in possession of 200kg illegal meat

A middle-aged man arrested by county health officers with 200 kilograms of unhygienic meat in Kieni has been charged in court.

James Karuri, who was arrested on Thursday, denied the charges before Resident Magistrate Catherine Mburu on Friday, and was granted a cash bail of Sh50,000 and a bond of a similar amount.

James Karuri (right) who was nabbed with 200kilograms of uninspected cow meat and a kilo of bhang on June 25, 2015 waits to take plea at the Resident Magistrate court in Nyeri. He pleaded not guilty and was released on a cash bail of Sh 50,000 and a bond of a similar amount.
(PHOTO: DENNIS MBAE/STANDARD)

According to the investigating officer Michael Bowen, the police found the accused selling the cow meat with a bad odour at his house in Njoguini village.

Kieni-West sub-county public health officer Denis Muriithi who accompanied the police during the raid cautioned residents against buying meat from unlicensed premises.

Muriithi described the impounded meat as very dangerous to human health, especially because the cow had already died prior to being slaughtered.

"The head of the carcass had partially been eaten by dogs. If human beings had consumed the meat, the effects would have been disastrous," said Muriithi, adding that he could not immediately establish the cause of death.

The prosecution, led by Hilda Cheptirim requested the court to grant order to dispose of the meat, which had rotten and was infested by worms.

The prosecution also alleged that Karuri's father, Francis Wang'ondu, 70, was on January 21 this year at Njoguini village found in possession of meat that was slaughtered outside a designated slaughterhouse, and in unsanitary condition.

Wangondu pleaded not guilty when he appeared before Resident Magistrate Catherine Mburu. The case is pending in a Nyeri court.

Karuri also pleaded not guilty to additional charges of being in possession of one kilogram of bhang and three litres of illicit liquor.

"On further search, we recovered a plastic bag containing bhang and a jerrycan of illicit brew, but the accused refused to sign the inventory we prepared," said Mr Bowen.

The prosecution was allowed to produce the narcotic drugs at a later date after it had been analysed by the government chemist. The accused was remanded after he failed to raise Sh30,000 cash bail or a bond of Sh50,000. The case will be heard on August 4.