The government has warned Kenyans in Nairobi County and other major to towns on prevalence of chicken meat sold by unlicensed slaughterhouses in Kenya.
In a statement dated November 6, Director of Veterinary Services and Principal Secretary (PS) State Department for Livestock Development Dr Obadiah Njagi, issued an alert on sale of uninspected backyard slaughtered chicken in the country.
“The Directorate of Veterinary Services has noted with concern the increase in sale of uninspected chicken meat in food outlets in Nairobi and major urban centres in the country.
This meat is sourced mainly from the broiler chicken farmers, who slaughter the chicken in their backyard and transport the meat to the hotels and other eateries,” said Dr. Njagi.
Further, the PS explained that this is contrary to Meat Control Act Cap 356 of laws of Kenya which states that “food animals should only be slaughtered in licensed slaughterhouses under the supervision of inspecting officer”.
In addition, Dr. Njagi stated that meat should only be transported in licensed meat containers.
Transportation Requirements
Besides, he said the container should accompanied with the requisite meat transport documents indicating the source slaughterhouse of the meat and the destination among other important details
“Such malpractices expose the consumer to unhygienic meat and meat products which acts as the source of the spread of harmful microorganisms, drug residues and other contaminants thereby endangering their health,” said Dr. Njagi.
Additionally, he requested the Director General of Health Ministry of Health to enhance surveillance activities to bring this food safety menace under control.
“You should also work in close cooperation with other stakeholders in food safety including the laws enforcement agencies to ensure perpetrators of these illegal activities are dealt with according to the law,” he told the Director.
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Meat Control Act
According to the Meat Control Act, butchers should not slaughter any animal in a slaughterhouse before inspection by an inspecting officer except only in an emergency.
The Act also demands that individuals should not part with the possession of a carcass of any animal slaughtered in an export slaughterhouse unless an inspecting officer has inspected such carcass.
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“No person, other than an inspecting officer, shall attach to or remove from any animal, carcass or meat or alter or cause to be attached to or removed from any animal, carcass or meat or permit the alteration of any tags, token or mark used in the process of inspection,” reads the Act.
All slaughterhouses should also be assigned official numbers to identify all carcasses and meat inspected in such slaughterhouses.
It also allows the Director of Veterinary Services to order the closure of any slaughterhouse in the event of failure to comply with any provision of these Regulations.
