Livestock Owners To Pay 500,000 For Each Animal Grazing In Towns

It is not uncommon to see livestock ‘grazing’ in many Kenyan urban centers without anyone taking care of them, even causing accidents and other problems in some instances.

Well, maybe that is just about to end as a bill proposal has been tabled to the National Assembly, and if it is passed, owners of loitering livestock will be fined 500,000 shillings for each animal found in urban centers and open public spaces, or risk going to jail for six months.

In the bill dubbed Animal Health Bill, it is proposed that animals shouldn’t be taken to graze in places such as townships, municipalities, dumpsites, airports, along the railway, public roadsides or gazetted forests among other places.

If the bill is upheld, then there will be an inspection of animals by the Director-General of Veterinary Services at every entry point of livestock to determine whether the animal is infected by disease at the time of entry.

This is in a bid to control infections and notifiable diseases in livestock, where there will be an inspection of animals in every household that will see sick animals eliminated, and the owners compensated.

In the case of the elimination of sick animals, the bill has subsequent regulations that will determine the value of the animal to be compensated.

During inspections and elimination, compensations may be partially or wholly denied, especially if the owner of the animal will be found guilty of dishonoring the set regulations under the bill.

“No compensation will be made in respect of any animal destroyed if it is determined that the animal was infected by the time it was imported or before it was passed by the inspection officers at the entry places,” reads part of the bill.

The bill also seeks to control animal diseases by restricting animal movements from one location to another unless the movement is permitted.

The bill has since been subjected to public participation.