Dog and Cat Meat and Fur Trades Kenya

The dog and cat meat trade in KENYA (Africa):

It is illegal to slaughter and eat dogs in Kenya in East Africa, according to the Meat Control Act, and it is illegal to slaughter animals in a cruel manner according to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.  (Kenya Tribune, 2019, Why eating dog meat will land you in jail: The Standard)

Many Kenyans are disgusted by dog meat consumption and are against legalizing it.  (Kenya Tribune, 2019, Why eating dog meat will land you in jail: The Standard)

Although eating dog meat is illegal in Kenya, some people still believe it is acceptable.  For example, the Governor of Nairobi, Kenya, plans to open a dog meat market to eliminate around 50,000 strays in Nairobi.  He said the market “will bring together dog eating nationalities in the country.”  Animal protection groups are against the plan and want to vaccinate and sterilize (spay/neuter) the stray dogs.  (Ambani, 2019, Sonko finds ‘delicious’ solution to stray dogs nuisance in Nairobi)

Kenya is considered a high-risk area for rabies from dogs.  (CDC, 2021, High-Risk Countries for Dog Rabies)

Cats are also consumed in Kenya.  In 2018, a Kenyan man was sentenced to 3 years in prison for killing around 1,100 cats for human consumption in violation of the Food, Drugs and Chemical Substances Act, and for “slaughtering an animal at an undesignated place contrary to the meat control regulations.”  Killing the cats was also against the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act of 2012, which prohibits people from being cruel to animals, to include starving, abandoning, or killing animals in a cruel manner.  The man killed the cats to make pastries (samosas) containing cat meat for people in Nakuru, Kenya, which is 90km (around 56 miles) from Nairobi, Kenya.  The man was caught skinning cats and had already beheaded a cat.  He said he had been killing cats and selling their meat to people in Nakuru for close to 8 years and there were so many clients that he could not keep up with the demand for cat meat.  (Ackwerh, 2018, Notorious cat meat samosa vendor in Kenya busted after 1100th kill)