By Prince J Musa in Kenema
The Kenema district security committee together with community people and cattle rearers have on the 16th August 2024 embarked on an exercise to seize cows that are roaming about and not under proper control in the township.
This according to the committee is a result of continuous complaints received from community people against uncontrolled cattle in Kenema city causing serious damage to farmers' crops.
According to the District Security Coordinator, Office of National Security, Kenema, Sylvester Kpukumu, the operation was being executed by the Sierra Leone police, military and other stakeholders and that once a cow is held, a fine is levied on the owner before it is released.
He stated that most of the cows roam freely with no quarantine measures in place, adding that there is also the fear of the outbreak of zoonotic diseases especially as they are getting information about monkeypox around the continent which is a public health concern.
The coordinator stated that such concerns led to an engagement with the Cattle Rearers Association to negotiate how best they could move their cattle to safer places that will not affect other people.
He said a three to four month period was given to them to put the cows under control but said no efforts were made to honour such agreement as they continued to get complaints from the public.
Kpukumu said the security sector will not allow the cows to be moving freely in the city, posing threat to the safety of people and properties, adding that the operation will last until the cows are put under control.
He said since the clamp down began, they now see boys moving with the cows under control, an effort he said is not enough as they want to ensure they are kept in ranches.
The head of civil society Kenema, Augustine Sannoh referred to the intervention as a good step in ensuring the safety of residents of the municipality since the owners have refused to take appropriate measures to secure their livestock.
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