The court decision to reopen donkey slaughter house has received a sharp criticism from donkey owners in Baringo who depend on donkey in generating source of their livelihood opening another battle between the donkey meat investor at Goldox in mogotio and donkey farmers.
The ban was enforced a year ago but was lifted on June 15 allowing them the resumption of sell of donkey meat and skin to Asian markets.The high price of skin to be used for Chinese medicine has led to donkey poaching and the working animals could soon go extinct.
However the donkey farmers have not received well the court decision to lift the ban saying a donkey plays a critical role in social economic development to rural and urban who depend on the donkey,since the opening of donkey slaughter house after the amendment of meat act 2021 to classify donkey and horse as food animals that led to establishment of donkey slaughter house for export the population recused from 1.8 million to 600,000 in only four years and with the lifting of the ban the donkey population would be extinct within 2 years,this according to donkey experts.
Donkey farmers claimed the court ruling favored investors without looking the key role donkey play in pastoral communities at expense of Asian markets,they have vowed to start a new court process until their voice is heard.Before enforcement of the ban farmers had complained of donkey theft,also the religious belief among kalenjin community in Baringo that was a taboo to slaughter donkey for any purpose as it was believed to be a reliever to many women who had to trek for kilometers tracking water,Lembus elders said even when a donkey dies a burial ceremony was held for the role it plays it running families who depend on it.
However Goldox management said they have started breeding donkey and have contracted over 2000 farmers across kenya to do breeding on their behalf so as to regulate the donkey population which was one key requirement to be allowed to resume oparation,but the elders and farmers would hear non of these as they have vowed to take extra step by cursing the company and their children who will work there should the Government not listen to their plight.
The donkey abattoir which started its operation in 2016 was received by mixed reaction,despite the challenge of donkey theft,diminishing number and taboos associated in also transformed the social economic of chemogoch area in mogotio as it directly employed 400 workers with business thriving in an area where they only depended of cattle and goat meat and products they sell.