Who should remove animal carcasses from the roadside? It seems that even the county government doesn't know
A section of the road at Free Area where the dog has been dangling from a tree.
The sight of carcasses along the road, usually after a dog, cat or even a bird has been hit by a car, is unfortunately a common one.
In many cases, these carcasses are left to decompose until there is nothing left, with no one bothering about the health risks posed by the rotting carcass.
Drivers and pedestrians, it seems, have come to terms with living with such horrible sights and smells.
Well, a recent incident where the rotting carcass of a dog was left hanging from a tree for four days along the Nakuru-Nairobi highway (around Free Area) got us thinking.
Who exactly should be held responsible for cleaning up such incidents when an animal is accidentally hit by a vehicle on the road?
One resident who took to social media suggested that the public health department should step in.
"Report to the health department for action or call any veterinary clinic in Nakuru. They can liaise with the county authorities," Sarah Atieno Nyaroganda wrote on Facebook.
Mtaa Wangu, decided to conduct its own investigation and contact the relevant authority to get the answers.
Our endeavour proved to be an interesting one, with different county authorities passing the buck at each other when it comes to the responsibility of cleaning up the carcasses.
It seems that this particular issue is still a grey area that is yet to be clearly defined.
The Department of Public Health, through its chief officer Joyce Ncece, said it was still unclear which department between Public Health, the Directorate of Livestock and Veterinary Services and the Department of Environment should take the lead on the matter.
However, according to Ms Ncece, there will be a meeting between the three departments to decide who should deal with such a matter.
"The carcass of the dog will be removed from the road today. We will also discuss which department will deal with this matter and with what speed in case of future incidents," said Ms Ncece.
Livestock and Veterinary Services Director Dr Michael Cheruiyot, on his part, distanced himself from the issue of removing carcasses of any kind from the road, placing the responsibility on the health department.
"The public health department is supposed to remove carcasses of any kind. As far as the current situation is concerned, the veterinary department is dealing with stray dogs and rabid dogs. Once neutralised, the disposal will be done by the Public Health Department under the guidance of the Ministry of Environment and the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA)," said Dr Cheruiyot.