Cases of donkey theft have been on the increase since the introduction of two slaughterhouses in the Rift Valley region in the last one year.
Stakeholders in the sector are now mulling over the closure of the private abattoirs saying their continued existence could herald the beginning of the end of donkeys in the country.
In Nakuru County alone, hundreds of donkeys have been stolen in the last one year leaving owners to wallow in poverty.
According to Naivasha sub-county Veterinary Officer Miriam Nakeel, over 40 people have been left jobless after their donkeys were stolen in the same period.
“So far a total of 122 donkeys have been stolen in the last one year alone and this has left their owners with no other source of living," she said.
She said though the 2009 donkey census revealed about 150,000 'beasts of burden' in the larger Nakuru County, their population is decreasing by the day.
“The slaughterhouse in Mogotio was opened in February last year and the one in Naivasha started its operations in November and these have been hubs for donkeys that have at times been stolen”.
Nakeel was speaking to the press during a meeting with donkey owners at Finlays homegrown farm in Naivasha.