By Tony Wafula, Nairobi
A growing rift is emerging between science and policy as Kenya weighs its next steps regarding the controversial donkey skin trade.
At the center of the debate in the African Union’s 2023 moratorium on the commercial slaughter of donkeys for their skins, a measure designed to curb an unsustainable and ethically fraught industry that has placed Kenya under international scrutiny.
The issue resurfaced during a recent validation workshop hosted by the Kenya Veterinary Association (KVA), where divergent views emerged over whether Kenya should fully align with the AU directive.
Some remarks by participants, including a representative from Kenya’s Directorate of Veterinary Services, appeared to question the necessity of adhering to the continent wide moratorium prompting concern among animal welfare advocates and regional policy experts.
“The scientific, ethical and socio economic evidence in support of the moratorium is overwhelming,” said a consulting animal welfare expert formerly engaged with the African Union Inter African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR). “To cast doubt on this policy now is to risk not only ecological collapse, but also our credibility as hosts of AU-IBAR.”
Donkeys (Equus asinus), domesticated over 5,000 years ago from the African wild ass, have long been essential to the livelihoods of rural communities across Africa. But their unique evolutionary traits particularly their slow reproductive cycles make them biologically unsuited for the demands of industrialized slaughter.
“Donkeys are not small cows,” the expert noted. “They cannot reproduce quickly, especially under chronic stress conditions such as overwork, malnutrition and poor veterinary care.” These traits, while advantageous for survival in harsh environments, create an inherent bottleneck in reproduction. Under even the best conditions, donkeys do not match the reproductive capacity of goats, sheep or cattle.
A 2019 study by the Donkey Sanctuary revealed that the slaughter to birth ratio in Kenya stands at an alarming 5:1, signaling what experts describe as a “red flag for species collapse.”
Beyond biology, the donkey skin trade carries far reaching social consequences. In Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs), donkeys remain indispensable. They haul water, firewood, agricultural produce, and even schoolchildren often across hostile terrain where motorized transport is impractical.
“The loss of donkeys has had devastating consequences, particularly for women and girls,” said the expert.
“It’s increased labor burdens, reduced income opportunities and driven girls out of school,”
In some communities, donkeys are even integral to cultural rites like bride price ceremonies, with their absence creating a ripple effect of economic and emotional hardship.
The trade, often driven by exploitative buyers targeting the poor, has stripped many households of their primary means of mobility and income replacing resilience with vulnerability.
In 2023, after extensive scientific consultations and regional dialogue, the African Union declared a moratorium on the commercial slaughter of donkeys. The policy was grounded in evidence that the trade was biologically unsustainable, economically destabilizing and ethically indefensible.
Kenya, once a pioneer in legalizing donkey slaughter, later reversed course in light of mounting evidence.
As the host nation of AU-IBAR—the AU’s specialized technical office on animal resources Kenya now finds itself in a delicate position. Any wavering on its commitment to the moratorium could compromise its standing as a continental leader on animal welfare.
