Burning Questions
Fellowship Award Winners

Maureen K. Luvanda 

Location: Kenya
Academic field: Infection and immunology
Award category: PhD Holder

• Title: “Situational analysis of farm animal cruelty in large farms, general community and in relevant government authorities operating In Kenya”
• Keywords: Farm animal welfare. Livestock farmers practices. Government legislations and regulations. Kenya.
• DOI: 10.15868/socialsector.39154
• What We Learned From It:
  • There are legislation and policies in Kenya that are relevant to farm animal welfare. Various Kenyan laws and policies that prohibit animal cruelty do exist, and offences are punishable.
  • The main reasons why farm animals in the country are not handled and treated well, based on applied qualitative methods which include semi-structured interviews and observations of usual everyday activities of farmers at 126 large and small farms, veterinarians, front-line workers such as herdsmen, academic experts, and government officials.
  • Many farmers in Kenya do not understand the fundamental meaning of animal welfare. They do not have specialized training in animal welfare, and are not aware of existing relevant legislation.
  • African culture, religion, pre-established practices, community involvement, economic strength appear to play a great role in influencing how farmers in Kenya handle their animals.
  • To improve the situation: 1. Implement comprehensive programs targeting farmers and other front-line workers in the livestock sector to help them gain a deep understanding of government regulations concerning animal welfare. 2. Engage with policymakers and advocacy organizations to generate and foster strong policies that promote welfare and eliminate cruelty to farm animals.

Links

• Read the Guidance Memo
• Read the Annotated Bibliography

Some of the Things We Really Liked when We Read the Application

• Paths that different countries can take to improve the treatment of farm animals vary signficantly, especially when comparing countries with well-established animal welfare regulations and those without. That is why in order to move the needle one has to understand the unique position and standing that animal welfare holds in each country. This application is aimed at clarifying the situation in Kenya – a country we think those tackling farm animal welfare in Africa are interested in learning more.
• The applicant works at a livestock research institute in Kenya and have access to colleagues in the country whom she can consult.