A suspect, Mugambi Peter, was on Sunday arrested by police in Kiriene village in Mikinduri town, Meru County for selling dog meat.
The suspect admitted that he slaughtered a dog every five years and did not give it to children. He said he slaughtered it because he needed Ksh 100 to buy maize flour and that he sold the meat to members of only one homestead.
“I used to be employed to graze domestic animals and work on farms, but I am now of age and unable to do so. I carried three kilos of dog meat with me and approached members of the community, asking them to purchase the meat. I told them it was goat meat because I needed money. I cooked the meat and drank the soup. I beg the government to forgive him because I had no idea if selling dog meat was a crime because and that he had never sold it before. I only sold a kilo of meat to members of the community who had already eaten it. I raise dogs in the same way that I do goats and cows,” said Mugambi Peter.
A buyer said that Mugambi, alias ‘Ndandaa,’ approached him and claimed to be selling goat meat.
“I believed him because his employer, Mr Kathuua, has well-fed goats. He claimed that a bull struck and killed one of his employer’s goats and his employer had given them permission to eat the goat, but the rest of the workers were hesitant. He claimed that because the goat was not sick, he decided to sell it even on credit. I purchased the meat on credit, promising to pay in the afternoon,” said a buyer.
According to the buyer, his wife was in a hurry to get to church, so he told her she could prepare it in the evening while he looked for something to serve it with.
“I passed by my parents’ house on my way to the store to buy rice and discovered that they had prepared and eaten the meat. When the chief arrived, my parents had preserved a plate of meat for me, which I intended to eat after feeding the pigs. I was surprised to learn that the fat meat was dog meat, and I believed it when I saw the suspect carrying a dog’s head while being accompanied by police,” said the buyer.
He said that despite the fact that he hadn’t eaten the meat, he felt a shiver down his spine and the urge to vomit.
“He was lucky that the police arrested him because I would have done something bad to him. He jeopardized the lives of my children, wife, and family by selling us uninspected dog meat. If the dog was infected, we could have all died. He lives alone, is not married, and does not have children,” said the buyer.
According to the Tigania central Sub-county public health officer, at around noon, she received a phone call from the Mikinduri police station informing him that a suspect had been arrested for selling dog meat.
“I informed the officer in charge of the station that I was on my way and called the officer in charge of Mikinduri town to request that we meet at the station. We discovered the meat exhibit when we arrived, and after inspecting the skin and head, we confirmed that it was dog meat. When I asked the suspect why he was selling dog meat, he said he was brainwashed by an evil spirit,” she said.
She said that the suspect claimed that he lied to the buyers that it was goat meat. She said that it was against the law because the meat control act, CAP 356, lists meat that has been gazetted for consumption in the constitution.
“Under FOOD, DRUGS, AND CHEMICAL SUBSTANCES in the Public Health Act CAP 254, any person who labels, packages, treats, processes, sells, or advertises any food in contravention of any regulations made under this Act, or in a false, misleading, or deceptive manner as regards its character, nature, value, substance, quality, composition, merit, or safety, shall be guilty of an offence,” she said.
She said that according to the public health act CAP 254, meat should only be sold to the public after it has been inspected. She said that the suspect clearly violated all three laws.
“I urge the public to always buy meat from butcheries because it is purchased from slaughterhouses and has been stamped. Butchery owners are issued a certificate that allows them to transport meat from slaughterhouses to butcheries. When a member of the community sells meat at low prices, members of the public should be suspicious and skeptical. They should not buy it,” she said.
She advised the general public not to purchase meat from members of their communities after the animals have been slaughtered.
According to Jacob Mutiga, Senior Chief Anjuki location in upper Tigania Central, he was informed that there was a suspect selling uninspected meat suspected to be stolen.
“I called the Sub Area of Kiriene village, who went to the suspect’s house and peeped inside. He said that he discovered meat dangling from the roof with a rope while the owner of the house was not present. I rode my government motorcycle to the suspect’s house with two other Sub Areas and confirmed the reports,” said Mutiga.
Mutiga said that he was informed that the suspect, Mugambi Peter, alias ‘Amin,’ was seen carrying a bag from the direction of his house.
“I assumed the bag contained the meat and rode in the direction he was last seen heading. I found him in Tigania West’s Kithiere village, accompanied by four young men who were supposed to buy the meat. They’d discovered that he was selling meat for a low price,” said Mutiga.
Mutiga said that after he questioned the suspect for a while, he revealed where he sold meat.
“I rushed to the house and discovered that all of the family members, along with five visitors, had consumed the meat, with the exception of one family member who had preserved the meat in his house. I took it and told them it was dog meat, but they didn’t believe me. I took the suspect to his house and informed him that I suspected him of stealing a goat,” said Mutiga.
Mutiga said that they searched around the suspect’s house and discovered the head, skin, and tail near a banana plant in the back.
Mutiga warned the public against purchasing uninspected meat that lacks a stamp and said that Mikunduri had only one inspection officer.
