• Some NGOs have been fighting the owners
• The products are exported to China
Image: GEORGE MURAGE
The High Court has lifted the ban on the slaughter of donkeys imposed last year.
Four slaughterhouses for donkeys are set to resume their operations despite concerns from animal activists about the dwindling numbers.
Agriculture CS Peter Munya in February last year directed the management of the slaughterhouses to stop operations following concerns that the number of the animals were declining.
The affected slaughterhouses were Star Brilliant (Naivasha), Goldox Kenya (Mogotio), Silzha (Turkana) and Fuhai (Machakos)
The management of the Naivasha-based facility sought a judicial review on the legal notice the High Court.
Star Brilliant said it had already received a notice from the state to stop operations despite investing millions.
In his ruling, Justice Richard Mwongo said the AG and the Cabinet secretary had failed to file a response to the application challenging the legal notice.
The judge said that legal notice violated the rights of Star Brilliant, which had been operating for more than five years.
“The state has failed to sufficiently defend this case and this court quashes the Legal Notice 63 of 2020 as it violates the rights of Star Brilliant,” he said.
The judge further noted that the state through the office of the AG had failed to respond to issues raised by the applicant on all the occasions.
The state will bear the cost of the case.
Through advocate Wairegi Kiarie, the owners of the facility told the court that due to the legal notice, the government meat inspector was no longer visiting the facility, while the product could not be sold locally as per their licence.