NAIROBI, Kenya — Law enforcement officers from Makindu have dismantled a clandestine donkey slaughter syndicate that was moments away from supplying “illegal steak” to unsuspecting Nairobi residents.
Acting on a tip-off, the team of detectives and officers descended on a secluded homestead where the syndicate had converted the property into a makeshift abattoir.
According to authorities, the operation was intended to funnel donkey meat to Kamboo area in Nairobi.
“Twenty donkeys had already been slaughtered,” said a senior officer at the scene. “The carcasses were strewn across the ground, a grim testament to a trade that prioritizes profit over public health and animal welfare.”
The multi-agency raid involved DCI detectives, Kenya Police Service officers, and NGAO administrators, who caught the suspects in the act, busy skinning the animals.
While some accomplices managed to flee, authorities apprehended the masterminds believed to be a couple identified as Grace Mutile, 47, and Bonface Mutunga, 52.
The suspects were arrested on the spot, and their getaway vehicle, a grey Isuzu D-Max, Reg. No. KDJ 385Z, was impounded before it could transport the illicit donkey meat to Nairobi.
Crime Scene Investigation experts immediately processed the site, “bagging and tagging evidence with surgical precision,” officials said, as Sub-County Veterinary and Public Health Officers ensured that none of the contaminated meat entered the food chain.
The arrested couple are now in custody awaiting court proceedings, while authorities continue investigations into the syndicate’s wider network.
