Alarm as external demand for donkey skins leads to rising cases of theft, decline in numbers

High demand for donkey skin in the Far East has been identified as the latest threat facing the beast of burden in Kenya amid a sharp drop in their numbers.

According to Brooke East Africa, an organization involved in the protection of the animals, cases of smuggling involving donkey skins had risen sharply since the year began.

Unlike in the past when unscrupulous traders were targeting the meat for local consumption, a new trend had emerged targeting the skin.

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

According to Dr Raphael Kinoti, the CEO Brooke East Africa, the numbers of donkeys in the country were on the decline as demand for the skin continued to rise.

He said that some airlines had banned the exportation of donkey products due to the current crisis making the unscrupulous traders use sea transportation.

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

Speaking on the sidelines of the meeting, Kinoti added that the ban on donkey slaughterhouses had come in handy as cases of theft targeting the animals had dropped sharply.

He identified the period between 2016 and 2022 as the worst when the theft was high with Kajiado and Turkana counties being the most affected.

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

This was echoed by Dr Benson Kibore from the Kenya Veterinary Board who admitted that sale of inspected meat was rife in major towns in the country.

He added 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 had worked with several traders arrested in Nairobi for selling uninspected meat.

He identified Nairobi as 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 said that informal settlements were the main markets for the uninspected meat.