The Animal Diseases Rules

AI-assisted research summary: These Rules may be cited as the Animal Diseases Rules.

AI-assisted research summary: Defines terms used in the Rules including "canine animals", "farm", "inspecting officer", "issuer of permits", "licence", "permit", "place of quarantine", and "restricted area".

AI-assisted research summary: Importers must satisfy the inspecting officer that any fodder or foodstuff accompanying imported animals is not likely to cause disease; such fodder or foodstuff may not be landed or reloaded except with the inspecting officer's approval given in accordance with instructions from the Director.

AI-assisted research summary: Imported cattle must, once licence and certificate requirements are satisfied, go to quarantine by train, air or motor transport and be tested for tuberculosis at the owner's expense; no one who fails to comply with that requirement commits an offence.

AI-assisted research summary: Imported animals may be dipped or otherwise treated.

AI-assisted research summary: An inspecting officer may, with the Director's authority, destroy or treat imported animals that are infected, suspected of infection, in contact with diseased animals, or otherwise exposed to contagion.

AI-assisted research summary: Animals may be imported from Tanzania or Uganda, subject to restrictions and requirements that the Director may direct from time to time.

AI-assisted research summary: Animals may be imported by sea only through the port of Mombasa or Lamu and by air only through the airports of Mombasa, Nairobi or Kisumu; imported cattle, horse, sheep, goat or swine may not leave the port or airport of entry until the licence is produced to the inspecting officer; contravening these provisions is an offence.

AI-assisted research summary: Imported animals must be moved to quarantine by the inspecting officer for examination; the Director may issue special directions including destruction; removing animals without written authority or failing to comply with the Director's orders is an offence.

AI-assisted research summary: Imported animals must be accompanied by two certificates dated not more than ten days before embarkation: one certifying they come from an area free of contagious and infectious diseases, and one from a veterinary surgeon based on clinical evidence certifying they were in good health and free from contagious and infectious diseases.

AI-assisted research summary: The Director may set how tests or operations are carried out and may require imported horses, mules and donkeys to undergo a Mallein test under conditions he directs.

AI-assisted research summary: If the Director is satisfied that an imported dog or cat is not suitably vaccinated against rabies, the Director must have the animal detained and isolated at the owner's expense.

AI-assisted research summary: The Director may require imported or in-transit animals through Kenya to be accompanied by any other certificates he considers necessary to prevent animal disease entering Kenya.

AI-assisted research summary: The inspecting officer must, after inquiry, ensure imported animals were not in contact with other animals or exposed to infection; for dogs and cats the officer must require a certificate signed by the officer in charge of the carriage.

AI-assisted research summary: Defines "animals" for rules 17–21 to mean only cattle, swine, sheep, goats, or captive wild animals of the natural order Artiodactyla.

AI-assisted research summary: The Director may appoint people by Gazette notice to issue movement permits; every inspector must be an issuer of permits.

AI-assisted research summary: Movement of animals into, out of, across, or between restricted or infected areas requires a permit; there are specified exemptions and permissions (e.g. occupier moving healthy animals across a road) and the Director may exempt parts or extend rules.

AI-assisted research summary: Animals found strayed are legally treated as having been moved by both their owner and by the person actually in charge of them for the purposes of rule 17.

AI-assisted research summary: Section 19 sets form and content rules for animal-movement permits, gives the Director power to direct form and particulars, requires permits to be in triplicate with distribution of copies, and makes non‑compliance or unauthorized alteration an offence.

AI-assisted research summary: Issuers of permits must comply with directions given by the Director.

AI-assisted research summary: An issuer of permits may cancel or vary a permit at any time; in an outbreak of a notifiable disease, issuers of permits must cancel or vary permits as necessary to deal with the outbreak.

AI-assisted research summary: Any person must not move an animal infected with a notifiable disease, or an animal that has been in contact with such an infected animal, out of a restricted area except under a permit.

AI-assisted research summary: Permit holders must give the permit to a person who will carry it during movement; the person in charge must produce the permit on demand by an issuer or police officer, failure to produce is an offence and may lead to detention without warrant.

AI-assisted research summary: Inspecting officers and permit issuers may detain animals moved without a permit; if they are not veterinary officers, veterinary inspectors or police officers they must immediately report the detention. Owners or occupiers may detain stray animals moved without a permit and must promptly report the detention if no permit is produced.

AI-assisted research summary: It is an offence for any person (except inspecting officers, police officers, or persons acting on their instructions) to remove an animal detained under rule 24 without the consent of the person who detained it.

AI-assisted research summary: If disease occurs among animals being moved under a permit, the person in charge must immediately report it to the nearest issuer of permits and must not continue moving the animals until ordered by a veterinary officer or inspector; contravention is an offence.

AI-assisted research summary: If an animal being moved under a permit dies or is disposed of, the person in charge must report that death or disposal to the issuer of permits nearest the destination.

AI-assisted research summary: On expiry of a movement permit, the person to whom it was issued (or the person in charge of the relevant animal) may be required to deliver the expired permit to an issuer forthwith; contravention of that requirement is an offence.

AI-assisted research summary: Veterinary officers or inspectors must notify the Director if they believe any animal in an area is infected with or exposed to a notifiable disease; the Director may declare the area infected.

AI-assisted research summary: The Director, a veterinary officer or inspector must order infected or exposed animals in infected areas to be isolated or otherwise dealt with, and may issue orders to prevent spread; inspectors may not slaughter animals except on a veterinary officer's instructions; failure to obey these orders is an offence.

AI-assisted research summary: No person shall open and leave open any gate in fences in infected areas or quarantine places.

AI-assisted research summary: People must not remove grass, herbage, flesh, dung, skin or hide from infected areas or places of quarantine without approval; authorised officers may seize and destroy such items; provincial veterinary officers may permit animal movement and must notify the Director when they do so.

AI-assisted research summary: Any animal detained in quarantine is detained at the risk and expense of its owner, and the owner must provide shelter, accommodation and attendants for the detained animal.

AI-assisted research summary: A veterinary officer or inspector may cause animals in an infected area or placed in quarantine to be branded with a registered brand.

AI-assisted research summary: The Director, or someone he authorizes in writing, may enter land to restrict animal movement and may erect, maintain or remove fences, notice boards or beacons.

AI-assisted research summary: The Director may order that only veterinary officers, inspectors, or persons under a veterinary officer's directions may treat animals infected with a notifiable disease.

AI-assisted research summary: The Director or any veterinary officer or inspector may require animals to be disinfected or quarantined to prevent spread of notifiable disease, and may take specimens or apply tests to detect or diagnose notifiable disease.

AI-assisted research summary: When treatment to immunize stock against a notifiable disease is undertaken on a farm or in an area, every person owning or having charge of stock there must, when required by the Director or a veterinary officer or inspector, present all stock on the farm or within the area for treatment.

AI-assisted research summary: A veterinary officer or inspector may exempt stock from treatment on application, and if requested must give written reasons to the farm owner/occupier/manager.

AI-assisted research summary: Owners or occupiers must confine and isolate stray animals infected with disease found on private land; authorized officers may direct where animals found on unalienated land or roads are confined; the person detaining stray animals must notify the nearest inspector or police officer; failure to comply is an offence.

AI-assisted research summary: If an occupier finds a stray animal carcass on their land they must burn or bury it, report or notify the police and take precautions pending police arrival; a police officer who receives notice must immediately bury or burn the carcass; expenses incurred by the police or occupier may be recovered from the owner; failing to comply with paragraph (1) is an offence.

AI-assisted research summary: Only the Director, a veterinary officer, an inspector or a person acting on the Director's instructions may remove buried animals; other persons must not remove buried carcasses.

AI-assisted research summary: The Director or veterinary officer may order how to dispose of carcasses from animals that died of a notifiable disease; owners must pay expenses to comply, and any person who fails to comply is guilty of an offence.

AI-assisted research summary: Persons must not graze or allow stock on railway land or public roads without a reasonable excuse; doing so is an offence and the person charged must prove the reasonable excuse.

AI-assisted research summary: The Director may, with Ministerial approval, forbid by Gazette notice the keeping of cattle, swine, sheep or goats in any city, municipality, township or town; persons who keep such animals contrary to a notice are guilty of an offence.

AI-assisted research summary: The Director may prohibit exhibitions or the sale of animals in specified areas to prevent spread of notifiable disease; anyone contravening such a prohibition is guilty of an offence.

AI-assisted research summary: Owners or persons responsible for vehicles to which certain animals have been moved must disinfect them as specified in the Third Schedule; failure to comply is an offence.

AI-assisted research summary: If a veterinary officer or inspector orders it, public stock markets and private sale yards (and their connected structures) must be cleaned and disinfected at the close of each day.

AI-assisted research summary: Inoculations, vaccinations or other technical operations to obtain a Government brand must be carried out under the immediate direction of a veterinary officer or in such other manner as the Director may direct.

AI-assisted research summary: Nobody may remove blood, meat or other matter from an animal (or its carcass) infected or suspected of being infected with rinderpest or anthrax, unless done by or with the approval of a veterinary officer.

AI-assisted research summary: Veterinary officials may detain animals until prescribed fees and related expenses are paid; if an owner cannot be found or fails after notice to pay and remove the animal, the Director or provincial veterinary officer may sell or dispose of it, apply proceeds to fees and expenses, and pay any balance into the Consolidated Fund unless claimed within three months.

AI-assisted research summary: The Government and any public officer are exempt from liability for loss or damage arising from services rendered (on payment of prescribed fees) or from products sold or supplied by or on behalf of the Director.

AI-assisted research summary: Owners, occupiers or managers of a farm must collect and pay to the Government all fees for treatments carried out on their farm; fees they pay for services for stock may be recovered by them as a debt from the stock owner or person in charge.

AI-assisted research summary: Persons guilty of offences under these Rules may be punished by imprisonment up to six months, a fine up to five thousand shillings, or both; the convicting court may order forfeiture of animals involved.