Kakamega to regulate bullfighting amid deaths

The county government of Kakamega is drafting a policy to regulate Bullfighting.

The move comes amidst rising cases of injuries and deaths from the sport with recent being the death of a man who was run over by a bull in Kabras.

The County Director for Tourism Stephen Musee said there was need for regulation instead of banning it completely.

“As government officers, we have nothing to defend ourselves in case of injuries and deaths from bull fighting as a sport as we will be questioned why we allowed an activity in the community without being regulated,” he said.

Musee said the policy is meant to ensure that the community is satisfied that their heritage is preserved.

The sport is also a livelihood to farmers who cash in from Sh15,000 per fight for every match won and use the bulls for other activities such as ploughing and also sell them for meat.

Apart from the bullfight, the sport is normally accompanied by the Isikuti and Ishiriri and certain traditional foods promoting the county’s culture.

The meeting followed community engagements in Malinya that brought together experts from the sports department, the National Museums of Kenya and the Kenya Veterinary Services.

Community members welcomed the formation of the policy to regulate the sport.

 “We have incidents where the heavy bulls fight the lighter bulls or young bulls-we need to classify such issues,” a member representing the community said.

Other measures they want put in place are provision of safety measures such as ambulances and security during the fights as is done during football matches and provision of insurance covers for both animals and spectators.