The Brooke East Africa

12/05/2026

As part of our partnership with the Media Council of Kenya, we will be attending the Annual Pan-African Media Summit ahead of the Annual Media Excellence Awards.

This year’s summit is themed “Promoting conversations on information integrity, digital platforms and media in Africa.”
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Media remains a key strategic partner for Brooke East Africa as we continue to amplify awareness on the plight of the African donkey and drive meaningful public engagement on welfare and protection efforts across the continent.

We welcome you to visit our booth at the Safari Park Hotel on 13th and 14th to learn more about our work and ongoing initiatives.

08/05/2026

Today during the World Donkey Day celebrations in Kitui, the Chairman of the Association of Donkey Owners in Kenya (ADOK), Robert Maithethia, also delivered remarks highlighting the critical role donkeys continue to play in supporting livelihoods across the country and the urgent need to protect them from threats such as theft, illegal slaughter, and the donkey skin trade.

08/05/2026

Today is World Donkey Day

Preserving Africa’s Donkeys Is Our Collective Responsibility

Today, on World Donkey Day, we recognize and celebrate one of Africa’s most important yet least appreciated working animals, the donkey. Across the continent, donkeys quietly sustain rural and urban livelihoods by carrying water, goods, and heavy loads in communities where alternative transport is limited.

In Kenya, donkey populations have declined sharply, from an estimated 1.8 million in 2009 to about 1.1 million in 2019. This significant drop reflects growing pressure on the species, driven by increasing demand, overuse, and limited investment in structured breeding and welfare systems.

Despite their critical role, donkeys are still largely treated as tools of labour rather than sentient beings with clear welfare needs. Yet in many low-income and arid communities, they remain essential for daily survival, directly supporting access to water, agriculture, and transport.

Evidence continues to show that donkey welfare is closely tied to human welfare. In arid and semi-arid regions, a single donkey can save households hours of physical labour each day, especially in water transport where families would otherwise walk long distances under harsh conditions.

However, this reliance is not matched with adequate policy attention, enforcement of welfare standards, or sustained investment in their protection. As a result, donkeys remain under pressure while still largely invisible in many development and planning frameworks.

Today is a reminder that preserving Africa’s donkeys requires a shift in how we value working animals, strengthen welfare systems, and integrate them into broader livelihood and policy conversations.

This message aligns with World Donkey Day 2026, marked on 8th May 2026, under the theme “Preserving Africa’s Donkeys, Our Collective Responsibility.”

This is about sustainable livelihoods, dignity of labour, and the resilience of communities that depend on donkeys every day.

Preserving Africa’s donkeys is our collective responsibility.

08/05/2026

World Donkey Day celebrations are underway in Kitui, Kenya, led by our partner Caritas Kitui.

Kitui is one of the arid regions where communities depend heavily on donkeys for daily survival, especially for transporting water over long distances. In this context, donkeys remain a critical lifeline supporting households and livelihoods for both men and women.

This year’s theme, “Preserving Africa’s Donkey, Our Collective Responsibility,” underscores the shared duty to protect, value, and safeguard donkeys as essential partners in community resilience and development.

08/05/2026

Message from Our Regional Director on World Donkey Day

“Preserving Africa’s Donkey, Our Collective Responsibility” is more than a theme. It is a call to action. A reminder that no single government, organisation, or community can protect Africa’s donkeys alone. It requires all of us working together with urgency, commitment, and purpose.

Today, as we mark World Donkey Day, we do so at a critical moment. Across Africa, the donkey skin trade continues to drive theft, illegal bush slaughter, and cross-border trafficking, threatening donkey populations and the livelihoods of the communities that depend on them.

In Kenya, donkey numbers have significantly declined over the years due to exploitation for skins. Behind these numbers are families losing their source of income, access to water, transport, and dignity.

As I have always maintained, protecting donkeys is not just an animal welfare issue. It is a socio-economic and ethical imperative.

Even in the face of these challenges, we continue to see the power of collective action. The AU-IBAR Continental Moratorium on the donkey skin trade, Kenya’s 2020 ban on commercial donkey slaughter, and the Rapid Response Initiative that brought together government agencies, law enforcement, communities, and partners are important milestones in safeguarding donkeys and livelihoods across the continent.

Today, I also recognise and appreciate the dedication of government officials, county multi-agency security teams, communities, and partners working tirelessly to recover stolen donkeys and dismantle illegal trade networks. Your commitment and sacrifice continue to make a real difference.

As we reflect on this year’s World Donkey Day theme, let us remain united and determined to push this agenda further. The African donkey is worth saving, and together, we can secure a safer future for both donkeys and the communities that rely on them.

Dr. Raphael Kinoti

07/05/2026

CONVERSATION RECAP | DAYBREAK – CITIZEN TV

Our Regional Director Dr. Raphael Kinoti joined Daybreak on Citizen TV for a conversation on the illegal donkey skin trade and its implications across Kenya and Africa.

The discussion explored how the trade is driven by demand for ejiao, a gelatin derived from donkey hides used in traditional medicine. This demand continues to place pressure on donkey populations in source countries.

Dr. Kinoti noted the scale of the challenge:

“This thing is big.” Dr. Raphael Kinoti

He highlighted a recent enforcement interception involving thousands of donkey skins, pointing to a wider illegal network involving slaughter in unregulated conditions and smuggling.

On the importance of donkeys to livelihoods, he shared:

“Kenya has around 1.1 million donkeys. But those donkeys actually support about 6 million people in Kenya.” Dr. Raphael Kinoti

He emphasized that donkeys remain critical yet often invisible contributors to transport, water access, construction work, and rural and urban livelihoods.

On public health concerns linked to unregulated slaughter systems, he warned:

“That meat comes and gets into our systems and is disguised as beef. It is a time bomb.” Dr. Raphael Kinoti

The discussion also highlighted the significant decline in donkey populations over time and the risks this poses to livelihoods and biodiversity if the trend continues.

At a continental level, he referenced the African Union moratorium calling for a temporary suspension of donkey skin trade across member states.

The conversation closed with a call for stronger enforcement, community vigilance, and coordinated action to protect donkeys and the millions of people who depend on them.

07/05/2026

CONVERSATION RECAP | DAYBREAK – CITIZEN TV

Our Regional Director Dr. Raphael Kinoti joined Daybreak on Citizen TV for a conversation on the donkey skin trade and its implications across Kenya and Africa.

The discussion explored how the trade is driven by demand for ejiao, a gelatin derived from donkey hides used in traditional medicine. This demand continues to place pressure on donkey populations in source countries.

Dr. Kinoti noted the scale of the challenge:

“This thing is big.” - Dr. Raphael Kinoti

Dr Kinoti highlighted a recent enforcement interception involving over three thousand donkey skins, pointing to a wider illegal network involving slaughter in unregulated conditions and smuggling.

On the importance of donkeys to livelihoods, he shared:

“Kenya has around 1.1 million donkeys. But those donkeys actually support about 6 million people in Kenya.” - Dr. Raphael Kinoti

He emphasized that donkeys remain critical yet often invisible contributors to transport, water access, construction work, and rural-urban livelihoods.

On public health concerns linked to unregulated slaughter systems, he warned:

“That meat comes and gets into our systems and is disguised as beef. It is a time bomb.” - Dr. Raphael Kinoti

The discussion also highlighted the significant decline in donkey populations over time and the risks this poses to livelihoods and biodiversity if the trend continues.

At a continental level, he referenced the African Union moratorium calling for a temporary suspension of donkey skin trade across member states.

The conversation closed with a call for stronger enforcement, community vigilance, and coordinated action to protect donkeys and the millions of people who depend on them.

Watch the full conversation here:

06/05/2026

Tomorrow morning, our Regional Director, Dr. Raphael Kinoti, will be live on Daybreak on Citizen TV.

He will be speaking on the urgent need to protect donkeys, the growing threats they face, and why this matters for millions of livelihoods across Kenya.

From the illegal skin trade to the role donkeys play in supporting communities, this is a conversation you don’t want to miss.

🗓️ Tomorrow
⏰ 8:00 AM – 8:30 AM
📺 Citizen TV – Daybreak

Tune in and be part of the conversation.

05/05/2026

Here is the situation. We are LIVE.

Tune in now to Situation Room on Spice FM as our Regional Director, Dr. Raphael Kinoti, joins Florence Ndeti from Caritas Kitui for a timely and important conversation on the future of the African donkey.

From the realities on the ground to the policies shaping their protection, they are unpacking what it will take to preserve and safeguard donkeys across the continent, just ahead of World Donkey Day.

If you care about animals, livelihoods, and the future of working communities, this is a conversation you don’t want to miss.

Host: Ndu Okoh & Dennis AsetoProducers: Njeri MungaiDigital: Joyline Barasa & Susan MutanuTune...

04/05/2026

Here is the situation.

Tune in tomorrow to Situation Room on Spice FM as our Regional Director, Dr. Raphael Kinoti, joins Florence Ndeti from Caritas Kitui for a timely and important conversation on the future of the African donkey.

From the realities on the ground to the policies shaping their protection, they will unpack what it will take to preserve and safeguard donkeys across the continent, just ahead of World Donkey Day this Friday.

If you care about animals, livelihoods, and the future of working communities, this is one conversation you should not miss.

01/05/2026

Today, on Labour Day, we recognise the power of work and the people behind it.

But in many communities, it is not just people who carry the burden.

Working donkeys show up every day, quietly and consistently, supporting livelihoods, transporting goods, and making daily life possible.

They work so the communities they serve don’t have to.

As we celebrate human effort, it is also worth reflecting on the animals that make that effort sustainable.

Because when we value and preserve donkeys, we strengthen the communities that depend on them.