Judge reduces cat meat seller’s sentence

James Mukangu Kimani at the Nakuru law courts on June 25, 2018. PHOTO | NATION

Court has reduced the sentence handed to a man who pleaded guilty to selling cat meat to samosa traders in Kenya.

Justice Joel Ngugi reduced the three-year sentence to two years, ruling that Mr James Mukangu Kimani will serve his one and two-year jail terms handed for the two charges preferred against him concurrently.

The judge also noted Chief Magistrate Bernard Mararo erred in giving Mr Kimani a fine of approximately Shs1.9million instead of Shs378,000 for the second count.

Mr Kimani was charged with slaughtering and selling cat meat to unsuspecting customers on June 24 in Nakuru town.

The man says he has a market for cat skin and that he earns about Sh500 for every animal he slaughters

The charge sheet stated that he slaughtered a cat for human consumption contrary to the Foods, Drugs and Chemical Substances Act.

He also faced another charge of slaughtering an animal in an undesignated place contrary to meat control regulations.

Mr Kimani was arrested after he was found skinning a cat and told journalists he had sold over 1,000 cats to samosa vendors and a hotel in the town since 2012.

He said he started the business after he “identified a gap in the market”.

However, he said his clients do not know he has been selling cat meat to them.