2 May 2007, by George Kamau in Nairobi, Kenya. While water pipes and hand cart pushers are the main sources of urban water supply, on the narrow and empty pathways of Mandera it is mistreated donkeys that fetch and transport water for domestic use, writes George Kamau.
Maskio Kubwa needs at least 2 months of love and gentleness before she allows anyone to approach her head. Its body is spotted with huge raw patches and nearly rotted feet. She has suffered bad arthritis in her shoulders. This is a result of years of at risk exposure from neglect; cruelty and maltreatment- imagine how many beatings it took to create her fright.
 
She is one of the many donkeys, who are victims of physical and mental abuse, be it as a result of ignorance or malicious intent that a donkey welfare secretariat in Mandera district that spares nothing to give them every chance to thrive into old age; aim to provide a lifetime help and care through the guidance and education of the public.
Although Mandera district is one of the most sparsely populated urban centres in Kenya, it is home to over 5,000 households who wholly rely on usually mistreated donkeys to fetch water and transport goods. The overuse of the donkeys has been so severe that sometimes it has resulted to subsequent deaths of the animals.
 
But now Livelihoods and Donkey Welfare Initiative, a project funded by Brooke Hospital for animals, has come up with interventions to cut the number of deaths on the town"s donkeys through the donkey welfare and livelihoods project supported by Practical Action.
Donkeys in Mandera are to receive a special treat with the advancement of the Livelihoods and Donkey Welfare project. About 3,000 of them will be attended to by veterinary service providers, have their own free time to rest and their owners enlightened on considering the welfare of their animals to reap maximum profits. In addition they will have proper harnesses attached to their shoulders to cut down on the high incidence of bruises, ailments and subsequent deaths from pulling carts.
 
In fact, such events have been carried out by the project and other partners in the last one year to uplift the livelihood standards of the locals as well as ensuring the donkeys" welfare.
According to the senior livestock officer Rhamu, Farah Abdinassir Ali, they have held a number of free treatment exercises for donkeys in the area. This is in addition to the community based animal welfare drug selling store owned by fifteen groups that sell and distribute veterinary drugs to the donkey owners, users and handlers.
 
"Donkey owners have been educated and sensitized on the need to properly care for their animals through training workshops and seminars we have held with support of Practical Action," Farah explained.
This has seen a great change in the locals" attitudes and perceptions towards the beast of burden. "The society members have even substituted and changed the demonized names of the animals to those likened to an angel like Malabey meaning "honey" explained Haji Hassan a board member and witness of the change.
 
The donkeys, which play a fundamental role in the lives of families in this area, are responsible for fetching about three-quarters of all domestic water in the town, according to a community based Domestic Animal Welfare Group in Mandera, founded by local youths with support from Practical Action.
The group has joined the project in hopes of reducing the suffering of donkeys from mistreatment, cruelty and ignorance, which harm about 90 percent of the donkey population a year to which the organizations have set a goal of improving their welfare by the end of this year, explained Mohamed Ahmed, the chairman of the group. "The idea is to make the animals easier to handle through behavioural and attitudinal change in owners and users to avoid collision of interests." The death of a donkey can be financially devastating to its owner.|
 
There are believed to be at least 5,000 working donkeys in the northern town region alone. The average household owns about two of the animals, most of which are used for fetching water, transportation and ploughing. There are about 30,000 households in Mandera. 
Adan Noor Mohamed, the secretary of the Donkey Welfare group, had a personal encounter with a donkey on the road at night. "It's amazing to see people drive their cars in and out of donkeys, camels, -- you name it," Noor said. I witnessed a donkey owner beat up his overloaded animal forcing it to move up a hill. The situation is the same everywhere. "Where you have a large number of animals that are used by traders and farmers for a variety of things, but are walking the same roadways with increasing numbers of hills ... mistreatments and collisions are very likely to happen. Donkeys here and other parts of the district frequently wander onto the road in their struggle to pull overloaded carts- and fail to get out of the way when vehicles approach.
 
According to Abdul Haro, the area coordinator Mandera, his organization is raising awareness on donkey welfare and ways to improve the owners" livelihoods in hopes for better handling and management of all the donkeys in the area, and hopes to expand the project to other parts of the country, such as Lodwar. "The project aims to rescue donkeys and the occasional small animals from neglect, and abuse. To let them live without fear and to give them the love and care they deserve along with a peaceful happy secure home."
 
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