Kenya Society for Protection and Care of Animals (KSPCA)

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The Kenya Society for Protection and Care of Animals (KSPCA) is the only charitable animal welfare organisation in Kenya that deals for the most part with domestic animals. It evolved over the years, starting sometime after 1910 when some ladies took pity on the oxen bringing goods into Nairobi from the surrounding districts. The Society as an official body started in Mombasa. At that time it was known as the East African Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Nairobi followed suit shortly afterwards. The first available minutes of meetings were recorded in 1925. Initially the society seemed more concerned with rabies control, the inspectors’ main task being to shoot stray dogs.

The Society started expanding when it was left a legacy in 1983 and a plot was bought in Karen, where the headquarter is today. For the first time kennels and a small cattery were built and the work was able to expand. The two Inspectors at that time employed, went to the UK for training with the RSPCA, the Donkey Sanctuary, and the Humane Slaughter Society to learn about humane slaughter. KSPCA has grown over the years and it is well known for animal rescue and rehabilitation.

KSPCA’s vision is a Kenyan society living with happy and healthy animals, and compassionate towards them. Our mission is to care for animals and protect them from stress and cruelty through rescue, community education and enforcement of animal welfare laws in Kenya.

Our Objective
This we aim to achieve by promoting the protection of all kinds of animals, preventing cruelty to them, rescuing and relieving animals from all manner of suffering.

What we do
• Spay/Neuter Campaigns – We feel strongly that overpopulation of cats and dogs should be controlled by sterilization rather than by killing of healthy animals. The KSPCA conducts spay and neuter campaigns in lower income areas when funds are available.
• Animal Shelter – We run a shelter for animals which are abandoned, homeless, lost or victims of cruelty. We provide care and a safe environment until either they are reclaimed or rehomed to carefully vetted new homes. The KSPCA has a minimum kill policy, only animals that by reason of age, ill health or temperament cannot be rehomed are euthanized.
• Humane Slaughter– We were instrumental in introducing humane slaughter of livestock in Kenya. After having seen the way animals suffer in abattoirs, we embarked on a humane slaughter programme promoting the use of captive bolt pistols. We import captive bolts pistols and blank ammunition which are sold to the abattoirs at cost price. Our inspectors teach slaughter house staff on proper use of humane killers and their maintenance.
• Investigations & Rescue– We respond to over 6000 calls per year including reports of cruelty or abandonment and advising owners on pet care.
• Education & Advocacy – We target school children by visiting schools and encouraging visits to the shelter to teach them on importance of animal welfare.

Campaigns:
• Spay and Vaccination: The spay and vaccination campaign for dogs in Ongata Rongai where there has been an outbreak of rabies, is ongoing. We have hired a resident to source bitches for us and they will be brought to our headquarters for sterilising and vaccination. We also vaccinate any male dogs in the area but only sterilise bitches due to financial constraints.
• Sterilisation for Cats: We are also proceeding with a sterilisation campaign around some of the low cost housing estates where there is a problem with cats. We are carrying out a feral cat scheme whereby all healthy adult cats are neutered, vaccinated against rabies and returned. The unhealthy cats are removed and kittens rehomed. The cats are returned because if they are removed, more unneutered cats will move in and the cycle will start all over again.
• Humane Slaughter: Our humane slaughter programme is ongoing and Inspector Benard Atsiaya visits slaughterhouses countrywide on a regular basis. We have made good inroads in that field and most of the busier slaughterhouses country wide are using captive bolt pistols to prestun cattle.
• Rehoming project: Stray, abandoned, neglected, or surrendered make up most of the population of dogs and cats in our shelter. Any animals thus found are kept at the KSPCA for a period of one month. This period is a sort of quarantine period. Then the pets are prepared for an adoption.

Diana Onyango is the Executive Officer of the Kenya Society for Protection and Care of Animals (KSPCA).

For other net participants we can offer an expert guidance through trained staff, give an expert opinion, procure expert information and establish new contacts in the field of our work.