The fast life in Kenya's capital, may lead some to forget that there is a community of farmers and pet keepers, who have specific laws they are required to abide by, to easen their stay in the busy city.
The County Government of Nairobi is tasked with according prospective farmers land for livestock farming. Landowners are expected to allow farmers use any vacant, unimproved or blighted land for small-scale agricultural use.
Therefore, one is required to apply for an allocation of land on the goverment e-citizen portal through the Ministry of Lands and Housing.
Any individual with livestock in their possession is required by law to register the animal(s) in the owner's official name. This registration is done to ensure that the animal is not registered in another person's name, and to fast track the provision of veterinary services such as vaccination and artificial insemination for the animals.
According to the county government, it is an offence to fail to register one's animals.
Aside from that, It is prohibited to keep bees in a location that is not registered as an apiary. Registration allows the county government to designate areas that are ideal for beekeeping to mitigate public disturbance. It is also prohibited to own beekeeping equipment for commercial purposes unless the person is registered under the Beekeeping Act.
Another interesting law is the licensing of dogs. Every dog owner is required to pay a Kshs 2,000 license for the canines. Through this license ,vaccination records for the dogs are able to be set up.
It is against the law to have an unlicensed dog, failure to which the person is eligible for a fine of Ksh5000 or face a two-month jail sentence.
In addition to that, livestock keepers are subject to public disturbance laws as they are eligible to paying heavy fines if they are not in control of their animals.
Dogs barking for more than six minutes every hour will see their owners fined Ksh5,000 for causing disturbance. Within a period of 30 minutes, a dog is not allowed to make noise for more than three minutes, and not more than six consecutive minutes in an hour.
Cattle herdsmen are also eligible to pay a fine of Kshs70,000 or serve two-five months imprisonment if their animal(s) cause disturbances in the CBD.
