Nairobi County’s famous Kiamaiko goat slaughterhouse faces relocation after City MCAs faulted its hygienic condition.
This follows a damning report by the Nairobi Assembly Environment committee that pointed out the fact that the abattoir was located at a densely populated area, saying that the site was making the slaughterhouse unfit as a food handling entity.
The report also faulted the drainage system and the general environment around the abattoir located in Eastlands, especially the drainage system outside the facility which they termed "not all that good".
“The floors of the abattoir were not in good condition and the general environment around the slaughterhouse was not all that good especially drainage outside the abattoir,” read the report in part tabled and adopted by the Assembly last week.
The committee, chaired by deputy speaker John Kamau, has also called for all slaughterhouses located in estates or densely populated areas to be relocated to ensure good food safety standards to avoid outbreak of diseases, including cholera.
They said that the location of such abattoirs in informal settlements make it difficult to enhance food safety standards, revealing that most slaughterhouses in the county are in deplorable conditions with the county government having limited control over them since they are under private ownership.
The county legislators blamed existing laws governing management of abattoirs and meat (animal) control, which they said are not in line with the 2010 Constitution and were contributing to the challenges affecting the sub-sector.
“Abattoirs located within densely populated areas or slums should be relocated to other spacious sites to enable proper enforcement of requisite environmental and food safety standards,” added the report, which was prepared after the committee conducted a site visit to Kiamaiko and Neema livestock slaughterhouses between March 27 and May 4 this year.
The ward representatives observed that there was a need for a state-of-the art abattoir owned by the county government to supply meat and meat products affordable to most Nairobi residents, saying that since most abattoirs are private, continuous ownership feuds have affected their operation.
However, the MCAs gave Neema abattoir a clean bill of health, describing it as the ideal slaughterhouse as it has maintained high standards of hygiene and possesses all the facilities required in such a facility.
“The general environment around the abattoir was excellent, drainage system covered and the firm has its own internal disposal mechanism, ensuring that waste solids are adequately segregated for ease and effectiveness of disposal,” said MCA Silas Ongwae while reading the report.
In light of the findings, the committee recommended that the existing abattoirs work hand in hand with other sectors like water and sanitation to maintain a good and healthy environment to avoid outbreak of diseases.
In February, City Hall ordered the closure of all illegal slaughterhouses amid fears that city residents have been consuming uninspected meat.
The agriculture department had stated that that unlicensed abattoirs, especially in Kiamaiko and Burma markets, posed health risks to Nairobi residents.
PAYE Tax Calculator
Note: The results are not exact but very close to the actual.
