Gov’t Raises Alarm Over Sale of Uninspected Chicken Meat in City

The Directorate of Veterinary Services has raised an alarm over the sale of uninspected chicken meat within Nairobi and major towns.

In a statement dated November 6, Obadiah Njagi warned that chicken meat being sold has not been properly inspected by health inspectors.

Njagi revealed that chickens are being slaughtered at private residences instead of authorized slaughterhouses as is required by law.

Further, he said, the transportation of meat from these private slaughterhouses has been conducted in violation of prescribed safety protocols.

“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,” Njagi said in a letter addressed to county directors.

Njagi also stated that butcheries have been directly sourcing their chicken from farmers, contravening the Meat Control Act Cap 356 of the laws of Kenya.

The Act requires that food animals be exclusively slaughtered in licensed slaughterhouses under the vigilant oversight of inspecting officers.

As a result, county inspectors have been advised to intensify monitoring efforts, given the widespread practice that poses a potential threat to the well-being of Kenyan consumers.

Njagi warned that stringent measures would be put in place against traders found in breach of these regulations.

The directorate said that going against these laws exposed customers to unhygienic meat and meat products, acting as potential sources of harmful microorganisms, medicine residues, and other contaminants, thereby jeopardizing public health.

Kenyans were advised to be cautious when choosing establishments from which to purchase chicken.