Narok: Police in Narok town are holding two adult men who were found slaughtering a dog, with the intention of selling the meat to unsuspecting buyers in the town. Narok county police commander Riko Ngare confirmed that the two, aged 43 and 23 years respectively, had been found slaughtering a dog in a rental house compound near the Maasai Mara University.
According to Kenya News Agency, residents raised an alarm, attracting an irate mob that thoroughly beat the two before they were rescued by the police. ‘We received a phone call from one of the Nyumba Kumi elders who informed us of the incident. When the police were dispatched to the area, they found an irate mob beating the two males in the rental compound,’ noted Ngare.
The police recovered carcasses of one dog, which the suspects had slaughtered, two knives, and gunny sacks which they were using to package the meat. The two were rescued by the police and escorted to Narok County Referral Hospital for treatment and later placed in police custody. Ngare
said the suspects are expected to be arraigned in court, where they will be charged with the offense of slaughtering an undeclared animal, offering meat for sale to unsuspecting customers, and cruelty to animals.
One of the residents, James Kimani, claimed the dog slaughtered belonged to him and urged public health officials to monitor the kind of meat being sold to residents in the area. ‘We were wondering why “mutura” has become so cheap. So they are using dog meat to make it. We ask those responsible to monitor the meat sold to residents,’ he said. Another resident, Eunice Murugi, expressed concern for children on a long holiday, fearing they could easily buy and eat unauthorized meat.
Vivian Moraa, a confessed meat lover, regretted that most of the meat she has been enjoying is that of dogs. ‘Meat being consumed by human beings should be regularly inspected to confirm its source. Those hawking meat should be barred from such business,’ she said.