Cases of donkey theft have been on the increase since the introduction of two slaughterhouses in the Rift Valley last year.
Stakeholders are thinking of closing the private abattoirs, saying their continued existence will wipe out donkeys.
In Nakuru county alone, hundreds of donkeys have been stolen in the past year, leaving owners to wallow in poverty as they rely on their animals for a living.
Naivasha subcounty veterinary officer Miriam Nakeel said more than 40 people have been left jobless after their donkeys were stolen.
She said the donkeys are slaughtered and their meat sold to unsuspecting customers. They are taken to the slaughterhouses at night, Nakeel said.
“Some 122 donkeys have been stolen in the past year alone and this has left their owners with no other source of living,” she said.
Nakeel said though the 2009 donkey census revealed about 150,000 beasts of burden in Nakuru, their population is dwindling by the day.
She spoke to the press during a meeting with donkey owners at Flamingo Horticulture Farm in Naivasha.
During the event organised by Brooke East Africa, the farm donated 47 donkeys to the community to be used by residents who have formed microenterprises.
Brooke EA chief executive Fred Ochieng said it is time to protect donkeys and their slaughterhouses. He said the animal is key to alleviating poverty among small-scale farmers.
Ochieng said the two slaughterhouses are a threat to donkeys, and endanger the livelihoods of residents.
Carla Lawrence from Finlays Ltd said the 47 donkeys given out were part of the company’s initiative to help the people neighbouring the farm.
Donkey owner Nicholas Kinyanjui urged slaughterhouse managers to work with them to monitor the animals sold.
