Seven arrested as more than 500kg of uninspected meat seized in Nyeri

Residents of Nyeri may have been consuming uninspected meat for an unknown period after police uncovered over 500 kilograms of beef at a makeshift slaughterhouse in the Measure area on the outskirts of the town.

The discovery was made during an ongoing crackdown on livestock theft, where seven suspects were arrested with police also recovering fake meat inspection stamps, three vehicles and a motorcycle suspected to have been used to transport the meat already believed to be in the market.

Nyeri’s Measure area on Friday became the centre of a major police operation after investigators, acting on a tip-off, uncovered what is believed to be an illegal slaughterhouse as the crackdown on livestock theft intensifies.

Inside, officers stumbled upon a disturbing find — more than 500 kilograms of beef packed in sacks and allegedly destined for local butcheries, while carcasses from three freshly slaughtered cows were found stored in freezers.

According to Nyeri County Commissioner Josphat Biwott, who led the multi-agency raid, the seven suspects arrested at the illegal slaughterhouse are believed to be part of a larger livestock theft syndicate that detectives say has fueled a sharp rise in the crime across the county in recent months.

"Hii ni project imeendelea muda mrefu sana. Hata wakati tumetoa nyama kwa fridge, kuna zile zimekaa kama mawe. That’s a clear indication kuwa amekuwa akiendelea. And then ukiona ile ngozi, ile wamechinja, kuna hata ile wamechinja leo, meaning hii ni mtu anapatanga continuous supply ya ng’ombe,” said Biwott.

“Kuna wale wanatoa ng’ombe kutoka kwa boma, mpaka kwa barabara wanalipwa shilingi elfu mbili. Kuna wale wanachinja. Unakuja mtu ako na kisu karibu tatu ya kuchinja shilingi mia nane ama mia tisa. Why are we accepting this in our community? Na mnachinja ng’ombe, mama akiamka asubuhi, anapata tu kichwa na ngozi.”

Alongside the stash of meat, detectives uncovered fake inspection stamps allegedly used to disguise the beef as certified and safe for consumption.

Police also impounded three vehicles and a motorcycle suspected to have been used in distributing the meat, as Biwott warned butcheries in Nyeri to remain vigilant against rogue dealers infiltrating the supply chain.

“The containers being used to transport the meat, they are not branded, they are not certified, they do not even meet the food-grade containers required to transport meat and also we have not seen whoever was to do this business being in possession of a certificate of transport,” Acting Livestock Chief Officer Jane Njuguna.

Biwott added, “Wadesign system on how they are going to manage themselves, sababu hatuwezi kubali mtu aibe ng’ombe. You can see even the chilling situation ya mahali wanachinjia hawa ng’ombe na hiyo nyama ilikuwa inaenda town, wananchi wanaenda kukula without knowing. Hata hatujui kama ng’ombe alikufa na akaletwa hapa.”