A middle-aged man narrowly escaped death on Sunday after angry residents busted him skinning a cat at an open field in Nakuru.
According to witnesses, the man who identified himself as James Mukangi had already cut the animal’s neck and was in the process of removing the skin when he was busted along the railway line just a few meters outside Nakuru town.
Police officers from the nearby Ukulima Police post rescued the man from an angry mob that had started roughing him up.
Upon interrogation the man said he had been skinning cats for sale to some clients in town over the past eight years.
“I have ready clients who I have been selling the cat meat to for close to eight years,” the 34-year-old man confessed when he was busted skinning a cat to make Samosa.
Mukangi was caught red-handed in an open field along the railway lines outside Nakuru town.
Out of fear of being lynched, he admitted that he has always been preparing his samosas with cat meat.
“There’s always a high demand of the cat meat but I have always failed to meet it due to lack of cats in my area. For the close to eight years, I have skinned over 1100 cats. It was hard when I started the business but my clientele has grown,” Mukangu said.
Mukangi says he has made over Sh 500,000 through his business.
The incident left many residents in Nakuru town in shock and fear over the meat they have been consuming.
According to Dr Githui Kaba, a county veterinary officer who doubles as the Livestock Chairman at ASK Showground Nakuru branch, eating cat meat is unsafe and also illegal.
The residents called on the police to thoroughly investigate the matter and establish whether the meat was finding its way into the local market.
The suspect was taken to Nakuru Central Police station and is to be arraigned in court on Monday.
