'Sambusa miau' and other inedible foods that give Nakuru foul name

James Mukangu Kimani confessed that he had slaughtered more than 1,000 cats and used them for samosas. [ Photo: Kipsang Joseph/Standard]

The story of the man jailed for killing cats and using the meat to make samosas is evidence of the bizzare entrepreneurial spirit that has made Nakuru hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons.

The confession by James Mukangu Kimani that he slaughtered more than 1,000 cats has not disrupted the busy roadside traders selling all manner of foods.

In spite of their barks and neighs dogs and donkeys find their way onto hooks in butcheries and end up being fried and sold to unsuspecting customers. In Nakuru, no animal or food is untouchable.

In the busy streets of Nakuru, Molo and Naivasha, one cannot fail to notice the busy hawkers lining the roadside. They sell fresh and cooked fish, yoghurt and milk among other items. At the bus termini and along streets lining the bars the aroma of french fries, fish, samosas, maize and even chicken sold for prices ranging from Sh10 and Sh15, fills the air. The source of the products has always been a grey area.

“I usually grab one on my way home. Even though the chicken thighs are amazingly big, they are delicious,” Mr Josphat Wangombe said adding that although it is a health risk, it helps wade off hunger pangs.

To avoid scrutiny the food vendors engage the county health officials in a cat and mouse game. They engage in the trade once dusk falls, patronising the streets until dawn.

“There are high chances that you have probably eaten donkey meat if you have ordered for a meal in Nakuru. The chicken sold for as low as Sh5 a piece raises questions, even the fish being hawked is something to worry about,” Samson Kinyanjui, a local said.

In 2016, Nakuru, was in the news after it emerged that a popular yoghurt brand in the area was fake and ingredients included henna, yeast, stabiliser powder, sugar and water. Surprisingly, the product did not have a drop of milk in it.

“The only safe milk one can consume in Nakuru is from known distributors and the one sold in supermarkets. All other milk being hawked is adulterated. Others even mix wheat flour and water and sell it as milk. Nothing is really safe,” Mercy Akinyi, a resident said.
 
In 2014 a Naivasha court fined a man Sh 20,000 after he was found in possession of dog meat which had been declared by officials as unfit for human consumption. 

The court was told that the accused was arrested by Naivasha police officers following a tip off from the public, who had witnessed him slaughtering the said animal at Maili Mbili area.

Nakuru Conty Public health officer Samuel Kingori said although the laws are in place, isolated cases of illegal slaughter of animals is rampant.

“The laws are in place, the Public health is still regulating the meat in the market as well as does inspection but there are isolated cases of illegal slaughter that still takes place,” Dr Kingori said.

He added that inspection of meat is conducted in all butcheries and slaughterhouses to ascertain that it is fit for consumption. Kingori said those found doing illegal business are always dealt with in accordance with the law.

Meanwhile, ‘Nakuru’s Miau’ (cat meat samosa) was the butt of social media jokes. One of the most painful memes for Nakuru residents was linking the cat man with the closure of the Eveready Battery Company. Eveready batteries had a logo of a cat.

“They never told you why Eveready Kenya left Nakuru, huyo paka angeliwa,” read one of the memes while the other one that poked fun at the samosa sellers said, “Our samosas are irresistible, they are a cat above the rest”, ‘Samosa Miau, locally available’