Brooke calls for boosted policies on animal welfare
By Steve Umidha, October 4, 2022
Brooke East Africa has called for enhanced policies and regulations aimed at protecting animals amid rising concerns of bodily torture of faunae among Kenyans.
The firm’s regional director Dr. Raphael Kinoti urged both the national and County governments to work in tandem if animals like donkey and local horse are to be protected from going extinct.
“Most Kenyans do not have a good relationship with animals and we believe a lot needs to be done including putting in place the right policies both nationally and at the Counties on animal welfare,” noted Dr. Kinoti in a recent press briefing.
According to him, most counties were found to still be missing the basic legal framework needed to protect animals, and others do not formally recognize animal sentience in their existing legislation – something he noted as being a worrying concern.
“Besides stiffer penalties, we need to emphasize on community training at the counties as well as have revised policies, including the enactment of animal welfare Bill idled in parliament,” he said.
An Animal Welfare and Protection Bill 2019 was drafted but is yet to be endorsed by Parliamentarians who legislate on all laws of the land. If passed, the Bill is expected to greatly improve the lives of animals.
Notably, this Bill explicitly recognizes all animals – not only vertebrates – as sentient beings. Moreover, it mandates the stunning of animals before slaughter and requires all animals used for experiments to be under the influence of anesthetics.
“Therefore, the Government of Kenya is highly encouraged to adopt the Bill. In addition, the Kenya Veterinary Policy was updated in 2015 and a new Draft Livestock Policy exists since 2019, in both of which the protection of animal welfare has been specifically recognised,” urged Kinoti.
the Animal Welfare and Protection Bill 2019 will establish the creation of a County Animal Welfare Unit in each County Government. Where established, such units would be required to monitor and report on animal welfare matters and would include members from animal welfare non-governmental organisations.
In Kenya, the national government is responsible for the protection of wild animals in conservation areas while the county governments are mandated to ensure the welfare of domestic animals including livestock and companion animals.
The Department of Veterinary Services, a sub-department of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, is responsible for animal welfare.
The Department aims to prevent and control animal diseases to safeguard human health, improve animal welfare, increase livestock productivity and facilitate domestic and international trade.