Why female donkeys are banned in Nanyuki

Though no notices were pinned around town, news of the ban spread quickly and locals made aware of consequences.

Female donkeys have been banned from Nanyuki town since 1964. The ban follows an incident in the town in which an innocent farmer from Gathiuru village was transporting farm produce using his female donkey. Reportedly, ‘randy’ male donkeys were all over the jenny. The frightened farmer, Benson Mutiti, watched helplessly as the asses chased his jennet all over the market, destroying property and a hotel. The sexually-charged beasts brought business to a standstill and forced traders to close shop. The male donkeys had reason to be excited.

Female donkeys had been banned by Nanyuki’s Urban Colonial Council 15 years earlier following protests by mzungu women. The women were repelled by their mating habits whenever they went shopping at the Settler Stores, where a commercial bank now stands.  Mutiti recalled how the braying of his punda attracted the jacks. He blames the ensuing chaos on the council’s failure to inform the public of the 1949 ban on female donkeys.