Youth who own donkeys from Rurii and Weru wards in Nyandarua County have been urged to take proper care of the domestic animals in order to ensure they employ themselves through the donkey business.
Speaking during a football and volleyball games competition organised for youth to celebrate donkey welfare, themed “Promoting ONE Health Approach by Integrating Human Health, Animal Health, and the Environment”, different stakeholders noted that the area has seen a large number of youths employing themselves through donkeys and that there is a need for the community to embrace donkeys.
The games organised by Brookes East Africa and Farming Systems Kenya aimed to sensitise donkey owners on the importance of taking great care of their donkeys and the environment alike while at the same time keeping themselves fit.
Purity Njoroge, the senior programs manager for Farming Systems Kenya, said that they will continue sensitising donkey owners and the community at large on how to take care of the donkeys like they do to other animals.
‘’Today we are at Kasuku in Nyandarua County, where we met with Young Donkey owners. Apart from sensitising them on how to take good care of their donkeys, we have offered a free donkey clinic where hundreds of donkeys received treatment such as deworming and hoof trimming and planted trees,’’ said Njoroge.
Nyandarua County Director of Veterinary Services Edward Kanyari noted that the most prevalent form of donkey abuse in the area was untreated wounds.
Kanyari urged the owners to ensure they properly saddle their donkeys when carrying loads to prevent their backs from tearing.
He at the same time urged the donkey owners to regularly check on the hooves of their donkeys while ensuring they get hoof trimming services from professionals to avoid hurting the animals.
The government has put on notice donkey thieves in the Kasuku area of Nyandarua County. This comes in the wake of rising cases of donkey thefts and slaughter of the same in the area.
Speaking at the same event, Kasuku area Assistant County Commissioner Raymond Yawe said that there have been cases of donkey theft in the past, but the security apparatus has been on high alert to curb the vices.
”I am putting all those who are engaging in illegal activities such as stealing and butchering donkeys on notice that the security agencies are vigilant and will make sure that no such activities occur under our supervision,” said Ogutu.
His counterpart, the kasuku OCS Ezekiel Ogutu, at the same time urged donkey owners to ensure that the beasts of burden are domiciled in their homesteads at night over the norm of letting them roam freely at night.
Farming systems Kenya and Brookes East Africa have based their donkey welfare and sensitisation in Narok, Bomet, Kajiado, Nakuru, and Nyandarua counties.
