Embu residents have been cautioned against buying uninspected meat products after police seized at least 1,500 kilos of donkey meat on transit to an unknown destination.
The vehicle ferrying the meat packed in sacks was intercepted along Kiritiri-Embu Highway in the wee hours of the night following a tip off to the officers from the Directorate of criminal investigations (DCI)
Also seized were 15 donkey hides and a separate package of the animals’ reproductive organs which were conspicuously set aside for a specific market.
Three suspects including the driver of the vehicle were arrested as detectives embarked on a search for the source and kingpins behind the illicit trade.
The incident comes barely three months after police seized some 20 freshly slaughtered donkey carcasses in a homestead in Runyenjes Constituency on December 22.
Following the development, members of the public have been asked to be watchful of the meat they consume and from what source.
Embu West Sub-County Public Health Officer John Njagi said the two incidents point towards an intricate web of illegal donkey slaughter in the county and thus residents must be extra vigilant when buying meat.
“We are heightening vigilance to ensure uninspected meat is removed out of the market to avoid risk of infections,” he said
On his part Veterinary Surgeon Dr. Arthur Njiru said the threat of contracting zoonotic diseases was rife following an outbreak of anthrax in some parts of Embu in December last year.
By Samuel Waititu