Public Health
Mulot slaughter house in Narok West sub county has been closed indefinitely after it failed to meet the public health standards.
The slaughterhouse was closed after the County Commissioner Kipkech Lotiatia and a host of officers from the Public Health department made an impromptu visit to the structure and found it unfit to operate as a facility for slaughtering animals for human consumption.
Also present during the occasion were Narok Chief Officer in charge of Preventive Services Ms. Lucy Kashu, her Livestock counterpart Ms. Queen Kimorgo and County Director of Health Dr. Francis Kiio.
The officers issued the prohibition order after making impromptu inspection in a number of butcheries in Narok town and three slaughter houses at Ewaso Nyiro trading center, but only the Mulot abattoir failed to meet the public health standards. At the abattoirs, sickly animals that were on the verge of breathing their last were seen lying outside, struggling for their lives.
A public health official inspects meat at a local butchery in Narok town
Though the abattoir managers negated the fact that the animals had been brought to be slaughtered, alleging that the animals had been weakened by long distance trekking, it was clear that most abattoirs were slaughtering weak and sickly animals.
Lotiatia warned the public health officers against laxity in carrying out their responsibilities and directed them to be aggressive in inspecting all the slaughter houses in the county to avoid exposing members of the public to consumption of unhealthy meat.
The CC advised livestock farmers to find better ways of disposing of their infected animals other than taking sickly animals to slaughterhouses, where they end up being slaughtered and meat consumed by unsuspecting customers.
“The public health officers should make regular impromptu visits to the slaughterhouses and butcheries. Any butchery selling meat without the official stamp should be closed immediately,” he said. Also members of the public were asked to be on high alert and report any farmer who transports a sickly animal to the slaughter houses.
Ms. Kashu threatened to fire public health officers who neglect their crucial responsibility, saying her department will not sit back and wait to see unhealthy meat being sold to the public. She asked members of the public to look for the official stamp on the meat they buy from butcheries, to prove that the meat was well inspected.