Police Seize Donkey Meat at Popular Burma Market

A driver was arrested after being found with several kilos of donkey meat at the popular Burma Market in Nairobi.

The market is popular with meat. The seizure shows some residents could be consuming donkey meat without their knowledge.

Police said they had been tipped off the driver was ferrying the donkey meat to the market on Monday night when they intercepted his car and found it therein.

Police and veterinary officials said the meat was not inspected as required by law.

The meat was kept as exhibit and the suspect will appear in court to be charged for being in possession of uninspected meat among other meat related offences.

Donkey meat is not illegal in Kenya. Kenya’s population of donkeys is under threat after the High Court lifted a 2020 ban on donkey slaughterhouses, allowing them to resume selling the meat and hides to Asian markets.

Donkey slaughter was legalized in Kenya in 2012, leading to a rapid decimation of the animal population and cross-border theft.

Although Veterinary experts say donkey meat is safe for human consumption, its consumption is yet to gain ground in Kenya.

A report from the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) showed that more than 4,000 donkeys were reported stolen over the period from April 2016 to December 2018.