Anger at Kenya donkey nappy plan
By Michael Kaloki
BBC News, Limuru

Donkey owners in the Kenyan town of Limuru are up in arms over an order from the municipal authorities that their animals must wear nappies.
The council said the measure would come into effect on 16 July to ensure the town's streets are kept clean.
But recent press coverage and outrage from the town's residents has led the authorities to put their plans on hold.
"If we have to put nappies on our donkeys, soon they will say our cows need them too," one donkey owner said.
Limuru's mayor, James Kuria, says: "We must come up with a way to make sure that the droppings are not a nuisance."
Another donkey owner, Kimani Gathugu, who lives in the town some 50km north-west of the capital, Nairobi, says the measure is not practical and the council would do better to employ more street sweepers.
Fatal kick
Noting the vital role played by donkeys in the community, he says: "Donkeys are very important. Not many people have cars in the area and the donkeys serve as a mode of transport."
Another resident, John Kinyanjui, says: "The council itself has workers. They can do the sweeping. We are paying taxes."
Water trader Simon Kamau, who uses donkeys to transport water to his clients utters: "In all the three years I have been in this business, I have never tied a nappy on a donkey.
"The problem is that the donkey can give you a fatal kick. I was once kicked by a donkey and it broke my leg.
"What the council should do is come to us traders and show us how to tie the nappies on the donkeys," Mr Kamau says
Mr Kuria though seems determined to push on with his plan.
"I have heard that in some areas where they keep donkeys, they also have nappies," he said.
"We will go to these areas and see how they do it and come back and show our people how to do it. We want the people to earn a living but at the same time we must keep our town clean."

Though I am sure this plan was hatched with all good intentions, there has to be an easier and safer way to take care of the manure situation. I have never been to Limuru and have no idea as to the size of the town or number of streets. However, if there are 30 donkey owners they should divide up the "pooper scooper" duties, buy a trash can on wheels and a shovel and one day a month each owner could do clean up. Though we don't have donkeys running wild in our streest, whenever there is a parade there are people who do just that following any group in the parade that has animals (horses, elephants, etc) to keep the street clean for those who follow.

They might even start a new business from this. People are always looking for good manure for their gardens. Also I am told that in India they collect elephant dung, shape it into plate-sized "patties", let it dry out and then use it in place of charcoal. I don't know if donkey manure would have the same grass content as elephant dung, but it is worth a try.

As the article says, I would hate to have to be the one to put a nappie on and take it off such a good kicker.

They use the same dung cakes for burning in Somalia and Ethiopia as well.

Having stayed in the rural villages of India the food cooked on cow dung fire's has a distinctive taste, even more so "Chai" (Tea)

Hmm, so I guess a barbeque is out of question, huh ?

think of the "good" old times - a little more than 100 years which is nothingconsidering the worl's age - when people in europe left their "things" in the streets........

are they really going over the top now?????

like the smoking ban..........if they cannot cope with real issues they just turn to "manageable" ones.............
- Edited by pippa on 24.07.2007, 13:11 -