Alarm over smuggling of donkey skin to Asian markets

Donkey skins being packaged for export at an abattoir in Mogotio, Baringo County. [File, Standard]

The high demand for donkey skin in the Far East is the latest threat facing the beast of burden in the country amid a sharp drop in their numbers.

According to Brooke East Africa, an organisation involved in protecting animals, smuggling involving donkey skin has risen sharply since the year began.

Unlike when unscrupulous traders targeted donkey meat for local consumption, a new trend had emerged targeting the skin.

This emerged when government officials and stakeholders converged in Naivasha for a midterm review of the Rapid Result Initiative (RRI) in the livestock sector.

Brooke East Africa CEO Raphael Kinoti warned that the number of donkeys in the country is declining as demand for the skin continues to rise.

Dr Kinoti said that some airlines had banned the exportation of donkey products forcing unscrupulous traders to use the sea.

“We are deeply concerned over the rising smuggling of donkey skin to the Far East as this has seen the number of our donkeys drop sharply,” he said.

Speaking on the sideline of the meeting, he said that the ban on donkey slaughterhouses had come in handy as cases of theft targeting the animals had dropped sharply.

Kinoti noted that the period between 2016 and 2022 was the worst when the theft was high, with Kajiado and Turkana counties being the most affected.

“Through the Rapid Result Initiative, we have seen cases of donkey theft come down, though the sale of donkey meat is still rife in major towns like Nairobi and Kiambu,” he said.

Dr Benson Kibore from the Kenya Veterinary Board, said that the sale of inspected meat was rife in major towns in the country.

Kibore revealed that some traders were illegally acquiring movement permits for livestock, leading to a rise in the sale of uninspected meat.

Nairobi County Commissioner David Wanyonyi said that the Rapid Result Initiative led to arrest of several traders in Nairobi for selling uninspected meat.

“Nairobi is the main market for donkey meat, and we are working with other stakeholders to make sure that we end this illegal vice,” he said.

Dr Allen Azegele from the Department of Livestock revealed that informal settlements were the main markets for uninspected meat.

“This initiative is to address the safety of livestock products as some traders are putting the lives of Kenyans in danger through the sale of the uninspected meat,” he said.