The move came following a public participation exercise conducted on Friday, August 2 which brought together more than 100 people from various sectors such as pet owners, urban farmers, veterinary professionals and welfare bodies among others.
The Nairobi County government has done away with a controversial proposal contained in the Nairobi City County Animal Control and Welfare Bill 2024 which sought to force cat owners to pay Ksh200 for a licence to gain legal possession status for their felines in the capital city.
The move came following a public participation exercise conducted on Friday, August 2 which brought together more than 100 people from various sectors such as pet owners, urban farmers, veterinary professionals and welfare bodies among others.
Viral Tea reached out to Naomi Mutua, who with more than a dozen cats refers to herself as Nairobi’s “mother of cats”, who revealed that the proposal, as well as the entire bill, was dismissed owing to the failure of Governor Johnson Sakaja’s administration to clearly explain the reasons behind the imposing of a punitive tax on the city’s cat lovers.
“The bill was thrown out. It was clear there were glaring gaps and not-so-clear motives behind them. They agreed to restart the process and to invite more welfare stakeholders in the process and make it a better bill,” she told this writer.
A public participation exercise that took place on August 2, 2024. /NAOMI MUTUA.X
Mutua, who runs a Facebook group of about 25,000 cat lovers dubbed ‘Cat Lovers Kenya’, referred us to her thread on X posted on Saturday, August 3 which gave a detailed account of the contentious issues raised and which culminated in the bill being withdrawn.
She and other stakeholders raised an alarm regarding inconsistencies in both the soft and hard copies of the proposed bill. Clear differences in the two documents exposed perceived incompetence, with officials compelled to admit to mistakes in the copies.
On perusal, the stakeholders realized that many critical terms were not defined such as ‘welfare’, ‘control’, and ‘authorised officer’. “In the introduction section, we realized the objectives were not defined. Why was this bill introduced and what intentions?” she posed.
“So we questioned the officials. We seemed to be going around in circles with some fundamental questions not being answered. Who were the stakeholders consulted at the beginning of this process? It was quickly determined that no one in the room was,” Mutua divulged.
It was further determined that the professional bodies, the welfare groups, the representative organizations, and even individual animals/pet owners were not consulted, raising a red flag regarding the intentions of the bill and what the county government aimed to achieve.
When the stakeholders asked for the proof and paperwork showing consultation was done, it was not forthcoming, as it was noted that the officer in charge was said to be on sick leave. “And so I asked, did they carry the office paperwork home?” she continued.
The county government was faulted for failing to prepare the proposal with welfare in mind, rather aimed at control of the animals and as a revenue-raising measure.
Following the dismissal of the bill, the county agreed to restart the process as well as hold engagements with all relevant bodies & representatives of the interested parties so that a Bill can be created about animal welfare, and the policies to implement it.
In the rejected Bill, Nairobi residents would be mandated to obtain a license from the County Government and pay the required fees for it, failure to which owners would be prohibited from keeping or having a cat.
It was further revealed that a license for a cat may only be issued or renewed under the Bill if the owner makes an application to the County Government and provides proof that the owner has premises fit to control the cat.
The County government further proposed that the cat license fee of Ksh200 annually shall be subjected to revision in the current Finance Act and shall become due upon the issue or renewal of a license.
Other than cats, the Bill proposed stringent guidelines for the proper care of livestock, which includes cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, and poultry. These included specific housing standards mandated for different types of livestock to ensure they are kept in humane and healthy conditions, and they included:
- Cowsheds: Must be constructed to provide adequate space, ventilation, and protection from extreme weather conditions.
- Pens: For pigs and other small livestock, pens must offer sufficient space for movement, proper drainage to maintain cleanliness and adequate shelter.
- Poultry Housing: Must include nesting areas, perches, and sufficient space to allow for natural behaviours such as dust bathing and foraging.
Nairobi Governor, Johnson Sakaja speaking during the commissioning of the NHC Langata Water project on August 7, 2023. /JOHNSON SAKAJA