Kiambu police seize 1,000kg of suspected zebra meat in slaughterhouse raid

Police officers from Gikambura in Kikuyu, working with Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) officers, have seized 1,000 kilograms of meat suspected to be zebra from a homestead converted into an illegal slaughterhouse.

Three suspects were arrested and later led officers to Dagoretti, where the meat was allegedly being mixed with livestock meat slaughtered at the premises.

According to the National Police Service, officers acted on information received and raided the residential premises, recovering a skinned zebra carcass and assorted processed portions stored on site.

"Several tools and equipment suspected to have been used in the illegal trade were also recovered, along with a motor vehicle believed to have been used in transportation," read an official NPS statement shared on social media.

Officers said chemicals reportedly added to the meat were also seized.

Following the raid, the Kenya Wildlife Service has issued a warning over the dangers of bushmeat consumption following a major seizure in Gikambura, Kiambu County.

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Today, KWS officers, working with a multi-agency team, carried out an intelligence-led operation targeting… pic.twitter.com/8p56W03hUa

— Kenya Wildlife Service (@KWSKenya) February 25, 2026

In a statement, KWS cautioned that beyond being a wildlife crime, the handling, sale and consumption of bushmeat can endanger human health due to the absence of regulated veterinary controls.

"Bushmeat handled outside regulated veterinary systems poses serious public health risks, exposing handlers and consumers to zoonotic diseases through unsafe slaughter, handling, storage, and preparation," the agency wrote.