Locals from Mogotio, Baringo County, on Tuesday, June 20, rejected Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi's plan to reopen the trade of donkey meat and employment among the youth.
Taking to the streets with placards, the locals called upon the county's Governor, Benjamin Cheboi, to spearhead the boycott of the new proposal.
They argued that slaughtering donkeys and setting up a market for the trade will disadvantage them, who use the animal for transportation, in many ways.
"We reject this proposal to slaughter donkeys in our area. We use the animal to fetch water and gather firewood," one resident lamented.
Furthermore, the locals asked the CS to emulate Ethiopia which banned the sale of donkey meat. They complained that if the ban was lifted, the animal would become endangered.
"Saddened by the CS's proposal, we ask the government to intervene. Our governor, we did not elect you to open a donkey slaughterhouse in Mogotio," lamented another.
"President Willam Ruto, we know you care about the low-income earners. Please do not allow the ban to be lifted," another resident pleaded with the Head of State.
On Saturday, June 17, Linturi hinted at re-introducing the trade to deal with unemployment across the country.
"If lifting the ban will ensure that young people go back to work, then I will make sure that everything possible is done so that they can get employment," he stated.
He added that the meat can also be exported to other countries and generate revenue for the country.
Linturi emphasised that if the ban is lifted, he would ensure that all measures are taken in accordance with the law to guarantee Kenyans safe meat products.
The ban was implemented in August 2021 and the government shut down all the donkey slaughterhouses to save the animal from extinction.
According to data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), Kenya's current unemployment rate stands at 5.50 per cent.
