Mwea residents raise alarm over donkey theft as 5 stolen in a day, slaughtered and carcasses dumped

Murimi, a donkey farmer and veterinary officer, said he woke up at 6am to find the animals missing from his compound. He alerted his brother, Charles Ndeto, who depends on the donkeys for his livelihood.

The brothers later made a grim discovery: the animals had been slaughtered, with their intestines dumped near a local church.

“We were shocked to find the four donkeys slaughtered and their intestines scattered near the church. I am counting losses of more than Ksh70,000,” Murimi said, expressing disbelief at the brazen theft.

He questioned how the thieves managed to take the animals from his compound without being detected, suspecting they may have used an incapacitating agent.

Mary Wambui Muthee, the chairperson of the Donkey Owners Association in Kirinyaga County, confirmed that five donkeys had been stolen in Ngurubani town in a single day.

“We were shocked to see five donkeys stolen in one day. One donkey was stolen and slaughtered near a mosque, while four belonging to Mr Murimi were slaughtered near a local church,” she said.

Charles Ndeto said the loss has left him devastated, as he relied on his brother’s donkeys to earn a living.

“Donkeys are very important to the people of Mwea. They are used to fetch and transport rice bags to stores, firewood and other goods,” he said.

Muthee urged residents to work closely with security agencies to ensure those responsible are brought to justice.

“We must cooperate with the security team in Kirinyaga County to ensure that those responsible are arrested. Otherwise, we risk losing our livelihoods,” she said.

Residents are now calling on authorities to take swift action to curb the rising cases of donkey theft and bring the perpetrators to justice.