Govt cautions Kenyans on meat consumption ahead of festive season
The national government, through the Ministry of Health, has asked Kenyans to uphold food safety and hygiene during the festive season.
Speaking on Saturday, November 8, 2025, in Ishiara, Mbeere North, Embu County, Principal Secretary for Public Health and Professional Standards, Mary Muthoni, called on Kenyans to ensure that the meat they consume during the festive season is properly inspected and certified fit for human consumption.
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PS Muthoni cautioned Kenyans that uninspected meat poses serious health risks, including foodborne diseases.
The PS thus asked Kenyans to be vigilant and further implored traders to uphold safety and hygiene standards throughout the festive season.
“She cautions that consuming uninspected meat poses serious health risks, including foodborne diseases, and urges vigilance among both consumers and traders,” the statement shared by the PS read in part.
Eating uninspected meat is the major source of such infections, including anthrax, brucellosis, bovine tuberculosis, and salmonellosis.
It is also among the leading causes of food poisoning. In a recent case, 33 people were hospitalised in Nyamira County after eating meat from a dead cow that exhibited strange symptoms.
Drug abuse
At the same time, the PS called on parents to play an active role in preventing drug abuse among their children during this festive season.
Muthoni also raised concern over the growing cases of early pregnancies among schoolgirls across several counties. The festive season often exposes children to risky behaviour when parental supervision declines.
“The PS further appeals to parents to closely monitor their children during the long school holidays to help prevent drug abuse and teenage pregnancies, while encouraging communities to maintain high hygiene standards by clearing overgrown grass and stagnant water to curb the spread of cholera and malaria,” her statement added.
PS Muthoni remarks came amid rising reports of teenage pregnancies during national examinations in parts of the country. In Kakamega County, 31 girls in Khwisero Sub-county were reported to be sitting for their exams while pregnant, while in Meru, 17 young mothers sat for the KPSEA exams at Nyambene Level 4 Hospital.
