High Court Legalizes Slaughter, Sale of Donkey Meat

The slaughter and sale of donkey meat has been declared legal in Kenya by the High Court following a ruling on Thursday.

Justice Richard Mwongo in his ruling lifted the prohibition for the slaughter of donkeys after the state failed to respond to an application challenging the legal notice.

For instance, Star Brilliant Slaughterhouse had filed an application seeking to bar Agriculture CS Peter Munya and AG Kihara Kariuki from enforcing a legal notice that banned the slaughtering of donkeys.

The state however failed to defend its case thus the court further ruled that the legal notice violated the rights of Star Briliant Slaughterhouse.

Read: Two Suspected Poachers Arrested with 180kg Game Meat in Kajiado

“The government has failed to sufficiently defend this case and this court quashes the Legal Notice 63 of 2020 as it violates the rights of Star Brilliant,” read the ruling in part.

It further added, “The legal notice violates the rights of the applicant under Article 47 of the Constitution and the applicant is granted a stay to operate in light of the failure by the respondent to file back his response.”

Earlier last year, Agriculture CS Peter Munya imposed a ban on the slaughter of donkeys citing that they were dwindling in numbers.

Apparently, different slaughterhouses across the country reportedly slaughter at least 1,000 donkeys daily, a move the CS claimed resulted in their reducing numbers.

Apart from donkey meat, there is a huge market for donkey skin in China where it is manufactured to make food products and traditional medicines.

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