STRAY ANIMALS LOITERING ON STREETS POSE RISKS

Stray cattle's roaming on streets are not a good picture to potential investors. A spot check by NGBM team revealed that stray cows, dog and goats are still loitering in some of the streets of Wajir, Mandera and Garissa County. Loitering animals such as dogs, cows, sheep and donkeys are becoming an eyesore in every town and some are major cause of accidents when crossing the roads or standing on major busy roads. This is a cause for worry and something must be done to address this hazardous norms.

Now that county government have been fully devolved, we encourage that enforcement officers should detain any animal which will be found loitering. It could have been better to centralise the livestock department. Some of the advantages to the livestock keepers is;
1. It could have urbanised the Nomadic people because if the cattle is in a good health, environment that is safe, it would reduce the urban-rural migration.

2. The number of school going children will increase due to reduction of illiteracy.

3. The resource conflicts will eventually reduce. Incident of community conflict over boundaries and fight over water and grass shall dwindle.

4. Once Livestock keeping is nationalised and is in the range that can easily be accessible, it will attract the stakeholders to come and buy from the ranch which creates easy access to the market.

5. The cattle movement in search of pastures and water will reduce thus enabling better health conditions hence increase in weight for high price.

6. Less report of cattle attacked by wild animals like lion and hyena or missing cattle's due to negligence of caretaker.

The governments should give directives or warn residents who own the stray animals that they risk paying hefty fines if their animals were to be arrested loitering town due to menace they create. We advise county governments that if at all we desire to attain or regain the glory of being the cleanest town in the country, all stray animals should be cleared off the roads or towns.

#LetsKeepOurCountiesClean