Police officers and officials of the Ministry of Agriculture were deployed to Nyakach in Kisumu County to investigate the cause of death of over 100 livestock in the region.
A public health team that was tagged along further cautioned members of the public against rushing to buy meat from butcheries in Kisumu City and its environs.
An alert that was issued urged consumers to first establish the source of the meat prior to purchase, as investigations into the sudden death of the animals commenced.
“We were notified by one of the residents, who stated that the animals died immediately after the farmers grazed the animals on pasture along River Nyando.
“So far, my officers visited around seven families, but we suspect that more families could be affected,” Nyakach sub-county Police Commander Daniel Chacha stated, adding that police will issue a preliminary report on the mysterious death of the animals.
Agriculture officials who were assigned to look into the case added that the initial analysis indicated that the animals fell ill. The number of dead livestock is expected to soar as several others were reported to be weak.
Public health officers, however, administered pre-medication drugs while awaiting laboratory results to ascertain the cause of the sudden illness.
A number of factors were, nonetheless, adduced to explain the mysterious circumstance. The officers suspected that the animals fed on poisoned grass or drank contaminated water.
Health officials always caution against consuming meat slaughtered from dead animals. Cooking, they say, may not completely eliminate disease causing micro-organisms. .
Experts including veterinarians warn that foot and mouth disease, brucellosis and tuberculosis, bracken poisoning, anaemia, and mad cow disease are some of the infections that could affect a cow, and could lead to livestock death if not treated.
