Government will no longer license any donkey slaughter houses over fear that donkeys might become extinct in the country.

Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) in the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation Andrew Tuimur noted that the only two licensed investors operating the donkey meat business have also been urged to come up with strategies on how to increase the reproduction rate of the animal.

He said the move is geared to protect the population of the animal which is threatened by the high demand of donkey meat and skin in Asia countries.

The CAS said that they have instructed the owners of the two operating abattoirs in the country to devise ways on how to raise the production rate of the donkeys including exploring artificial insemination production methods since they take longer to breed.

In the country ,there are two operating abattoirs at Mogotio and Turkana counties.

The government has also declined to license another investor who had applied to open an abattoir in Machakos County.

Tuimur who spoke in Nanyuki during the annual symposium for the Animal Production Society of Kenya (APSK) said donkeys were threatened with decimation since donkey was gazetted as meat animal in 1990.

Currently the population of donkey is estimated to be about 2.8million compared to that of cattle stands at 17million.

However, the government admits the figures might not be accurate and APSK is calling for livestock census to help in formulation of policies guide animal production.

APSK chairman , Samuel Mbuku said that there were no statistics that inform policing, budgeting and that informs going forward to make the industry more robust.

Mbuku called on the Government to come together with other partners to carry out census to inform the contribution of livestock industry in this country and economic its development

Tuimur pledged that the government would team up with stakeholders in the livestock sector to carry out animal census alongside that of population census next year in August.

At least 700 donkeys are slaughtered every in Mogotio donkey abattoir in Baringo.