The Nakuru County Government is enforcing new food safety and hygiene standards that wet markets will be required to comply with before being licensed to operate.
The devolved unit has warned that it was working with the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) to shut down slaughterhouses that are flouting the required health standards.
According to County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Agriculture, Fisheries, and Livestock, Mr. Leonard Bor, whereas it is recognised by law that animals (cows, poultry, pigs, goats, sheep, and rabbits) can only be slaughtered in a recognised slaughter facility registered under the Meat Control Act Cap 356 of Kenya, most people flout this.
Mr. Bor said poorly managed wet markets are potential hotspots for the transmission of zoonotic diseases and antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
A “wet market” is a public marketplace where fresh farm produce and meat (beef, mutton, pork, poultry, and fish) are sold, while zoonotic diseases are ailments that are transmitted through consuming or coming into contact with animal products such as meat, milk, blood, or eggs.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) explains that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) happens when viruses, fungi, bacteria, and parasites change over a period of time and stop responding to medication.
This makes it harder to treat resultant diseases or infections and increases the risk of disease spread, severe illness, and death.
Speaking after conducting an inspection tour of the Nakuru Slaughter House at Kapkures Trading Centre and the poultry and fish stalls at the Wakulima Top Market within the Central Business District, Mr. Bor noted that suggestions that some of the wet markets under private ownership be closed for some time were impractical as they were an important source of affordable food for millions of Kenyans.
“There is no need to close wet markets, but we do need to make them safe, employing the appropriate infrastructure and equipment, and implementing hygiene and environmental standards and policies,” noted the CECM.
He added “The Departments of Agriculture, Environment, Trade, Public Health, Revenue, representatives from the National and County Government’s Vet Department, representatives from the Council of Governors, and the Ministry of Agriculture have been working closely in formulating the policies that will make products sold at wet markets adhere to food safety standards,” explained the CEC.
Mr. Bor noted that the county had over 106 slaughterhouses, most of which were privately owned, adding that the Nakuru Slaughter House had the capacity to process up to 100 cows and 200 hens daily.
This, he said, highlighted the scale and significance of maintaining stringent food safety standards.
The meat industry in Kenya is regulated by the Directorate of Veterinary Services under the State Department for Livestock in the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries.
Mr. Bor indicated that the over 90 wet markets within the devolved unit provided income for thousands of poor rural households.
He warned that misguided efforts to control the alarming burden of food-related illnesses in low-income areas risked intensifying malnutrition and poverty and may do little to improve food safety.
“In the rural parts of the county, wet markets are often the only place where people can afford to purchase nutritious food. Local farmers, especially women, are dependent on selling their produce in local markets.
Families need this income to pay for clothing and school fees for their children, cover medical expenses, and purchase other essential items.
Though closing wet markets is not a solution, prioritising health and safety standards in rural markets is a good place to start,” Mr. Bor said.
Mr. Bor indicated that the County Government’s multi-disciplinary team was ensuring that personnel at wet markets were implementing quality control measures to ensure meat and meat products remain safe.
This, he said, includes maintaining individual hygiene, proper cleaning and sanitation, pest control, allergen management, prevention of cross-contamination, and waste management.
The CECM, who was accompanied by Director of Veterinary Services Dr. Auma Christopher, noted that Governor Susan Kihika’s administration was improving wet market infrastructure, particularly in low-resource settings, by installing handwashing facilities and toilets, putting in place adequate drainage, separating live animals from meat and produce, and implementing protocols for cleaning food and slaughtering animals.
“We are also promoting public awareness campaigns on the need for such markets to have adequate cooling facilities and appropriate equipment, including clean knives and cutting surfaces.
The traders are also being informed that poor treatment of effluents from animal slaughter bears a significant hygienic risk to the environment and human health,” added the CECM.
To uphold meat safety standards, Mr. Bor affirmed that the devolved unit was working with the national government and State agencies to rigorously enforce veterinary policies and the Animal Disease and Meat Control Acts, conducting thorough inspections from abattoirs to retail outlets. He assured residents that safeguards are in place to prevent the sale of unsafe meat.
Mr. Bor indicated that the County Government was promoting food safety practices in wet markets by ensuring adequate water supply, handwashing facilities, and sufficient and appropriately placed toilets with proper drainage.
“We are training traders in the wet market on basic sanitation and food safety practices after developing effective inspection systems, which we implement regularly. The county government is overseeing regular disinfection and upgrade procedures to prevent buildup of pathogens and pests,” stated the CECM.
He concurred that it was within their mandate and responsibility to ensure safe handling of meat at the butcheries.
Besides regular inspections, meat handlers, he said, on demand must produce a certificate of meat transport.
Kenya’s meat industry is guided by a number of laws; key among them are the Meat Control Act Cap 356, Public Health Act Cap 242, Standards Act Cap 496, and Food, Drugs, and Chemical Substances Act Cap 254.
These with internationally recognised food standards, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP), guide meat value chain actors in playing their part towards ensuring that the product that finally ends on one’s dinner table is safe for consumption.
The county Government, stated Mr. Bor, was working with the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) to shut down abattoirs that were flouting the required health standards.
Mr. Bor explained that personnel at slaughterhouses and those handling meat and fish (and their products) must have undergone food handler medical examinations, personnel hygiene training, and food safety awareness training to ensure that they contribute to the production of safe meat.
By Anne Mwale and Megg Njoki
