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Stench from donkey meat firm alarms Nema chiefs

goldox

The Goldox abbatoir in Mogotio, Baringo. It promised jobs to locals and a ready market for their donkeys, but is now facing closure due to poor waste disposal. FILE PHOTO | NMG

The multi-million-shilling donkey abattoir in Mogotio, Baringo County faces closure after a 21-day notice given by the National Environmental Management Authority (Nema) expired last month before it was complied with.

According to the environmental watchdog, the Sh300 million Goldox Kenya Ltd at Chemogoch has not put in place proper waste disposal measures and is operating an illegal dumping site.

The National Environmental Complaints Committee (NECC) and the county’s public health department and Nema, on a tour of the facility last week, found out that the company is unfit to operate due to poor waste handling systems.

“The company does not have the technical capacity to handle its waste, leading to massive environmental pollution, a situation which has led to constant complaints lodged to NECC by the public,” said NECC secretary John Chumo.

Nema investigations also revealed that the company was operating an illegal dumping site on land purported to be a donkey breeding ground.

According to Nema, no licensing for the site was made while the public health department revealed that they were not consulted on inspecting the site, which is within a residential area.

The Ministry of Lands said no change of user was made to allow for dumping. “Investigations have revealed that the company is operating an illegal dumping site. We have given orders to the company to fence off and renovate the dumping site and that no activity should take place on the parcel until it is confirmed fit for farming or any other activity,” said Mr Samuel Ruto, a public health officer in the county.

According to NECC, public complaints against the company’s waste disposal system are overwhelming.

“Acute pollution has continued to interfere with both animal and livestock health. Lack of an effluent discharge system has caused severe environmental degradation. We can no longer condone this. Nema and the public health department should close down the facility until it abides by health regulations,” said Dr Chumo.

He said that as much as the country was supporting investors, the rights of locals and the environment overrides economic gains.

What hits your nostrils as you drive on the busy Marigat-Nakuru highway is the foul smell emanating from the abattoir, which can slaughter 100 donkeys a day.

The firm slaughters donkeys primarily for their skin and bones for export to China, where these are the main sources of a popular drug.

It was expected that the ambitious venture would open a new window to herders to earn more from their animals. But many health concerns are now being raised.

“The odour from the slaughter house is unbearable. Many of my neighbours have been forced to relocate,” said Ms Mary Korir.

READ: State halts licensing of donkey slaughterhouses

Ms Carolyne Ngetich, another resident, said the investor had put a notice on the land as a breeding ground, only to turn it into a dumping site, attracting vultures and dogs.

The facility received a nod of approval from the government on April 1, 2015, and has been targeting China, Russia and other Far East countries where donkey products are in high demand.

The government’s go-ahead saw Baringo and Nakuru county governments approve the construction, reportedly Africa’s first donkey abattoir.

The investors separately injected Sh350 million into the Maraigushu and Chemongoch abattoirs, promising jobs to locals and a ready market for their donkeys.

Donkey meat was legalised in Kenya in 1999, but this is yet to be declared publicly, creating a loophole where unscrupulous traders slaughter donkeys for sale to unsuspecting consumers.