NAIROBI, Kenya – Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development Mutahi Kagwe has given Kenyans the greenlight to feast on water Buffalo meat.
In a gazette notice 977 of the Meat Control Act (Cap. 356), CS Kagwe identified the domesticated water buffalo (Bubalus hubalis) as a food animal.
Y News understands that a food animal is an animal that is raised and used for human consumption. Food animals include livestock, fish, and poultry.
“Gazette Notice No. 977 The Meat Control Act (Cap. 356) declaration of animals in the exercise of the powers conferred by section 2 of the Meat Control Act, the Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development, declares the Domesticated Water Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) as a food animal for purposes of the Act. Dated the 31st January 2025,” the gazette notice reads.
Major food animals are subject to more government regulation than minor food animals. The rendering industry recycles a large portion of food animals that are not consumed by humans.
Where are the Domesticated Water Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) mostly found
However, research and studies show that no, water buffalo are found in the wild in Kenya. Instead, Kenya is home to African buffalo, also known as Cape buffalo.
The African buffalo is well-suited to the African environment, with hooves that are less splayed than the water buffalo’s, which helps it move on harder terrain.
The water buffalo, also known as the Asian water buffalo or the Asiatic water buffalo, is a large bovid originating in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.
Today, it is also kept in Italy, the Balkans, Australia, North America, South America, and some African countries.
Two extant types of water buffalo are recognised, based on morphological and behavioural criteria: the river buffalo of the Indian subcontinent and further west to the Balkans, Egypt, and Italy; and the swamp buffalo from Assam in the west through Southeast Asia to the Yangtze Valley of China in the east.
Why the government launched the Nationwide Livestock Vaccination Campaign
CS Mutahi’s recent move comes after he launched the Nationwide Livestock Vaccination Campaign.
This three-year initiative will vaccinate livestock against Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) biannually and Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) annually, aiming to protect livestock and enhance productivity.
FMD and PPR cause significant economic losses, with recent outbreaks in several counties leading to quarantines.
“The government, in partnership with county governments, is committed to eradicating these diseases and achieving disease-free status from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH),” said CS Kagwe.
CS Kagwe urged farmers to ensure their livestock are vaccinated as scheduled to protect their health, boost productivity, and safeguard livelihoods.
