Nairobi county government has said it has set aside a whopping Sh100 million to eradicate stray dogs within a period of one year.
Revealing more details of the plan, County Veterinary Services boss Dr Muhari Muriithi said there were at least 50,000 stray dogs in the county, a thing that he claimed should be conclusively dealt with as a matter of urgency.
Muriithi further stated that the presence of stray dogs had caused residents a lot of disturbance and insecurity, especially during evening hours.
On the huge allocation, Muriithi clarified that the funds would be used to purchase shooting guns to be used in the exercise as well as purchasing a designated land for dumping the dogs once killed, adding that the move was even approved by the WHO.
“Shooting to kill stray dogs was even recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO),” said Dr Muriithi as quoted by the Kenya News Agency.
Dr Muriithi was speaking during a breakfast meeting organized by the World Animal Protection (WAP) unit at a Nairobi hotel.
Prior to the announcement, residents of Makina and Olympic area in Kibera had raised concern on the rising numbers of stray dogs in the slum area. This, they said, was becoming a security threat for school-going children.