Residents of Kajiado could be feeding on snake meat following revelations that poachers have been capturing big snakes, skinning them, before selling the meat to unsuspecting consumers as fish fillet.
The relatively affordable price of the product has attracted a ready market in Kitengela and other urban towns.
The county has valleys, hills and bushes known to be home to huge snakes, and some rogue traders have ventured into the risky and illegal business.
According to Kajiado Criminal Investigations boss Isaac Meme, the smugglers believe the county is safe and they can maneuver easily without being traced.
“It’s illegal to poach snakes and sell them; my team raised suspicion on the source of the lucrative ‘fish fillets’.
A resident said he was shocked to learn that the fish fillet that has become popular in the area could be snake meat.
”I like fish fillet, I always buy every weekend, but I am shocked to learn that I could have been eating snake meat,” said Josiah Mwangi.
Being the host to three national parks and several private wildlife sanctuaries, the county is now slowly turning into a poachers’ haven.
The county’s location is said to work to the advantage of poachers, given that it borders Nairobi and also connects Tanzania through the Namanga border.
Several suspects were recently arrested while transporting elephant trophies and other products.
Source: The Standard