Shock of farmers using Anti-Retroviral (ARV) drugs, to ‘fatten’ chicke

That mouth-watering piece of chicken
that you routinely devour at your local
restaurant or house could be laced with
Anti-Retroviral (ARV) drugs, which are
meant to slow down the dreaded HIV
virus.
The appalling revelations by veterinary
doctors operating in Murang’a and Kiambu
counties are bound to send shock waves
among lovers of the chicken delicacy and
traders of poultry products alike. The
populous Nairobi County relies heavily on
the supply of poultry products from the
neighbouring counties.
“We have reliably established from our
clients around Thika and Murang’a that
commercial broiler farmers are adding
ARVs to broiler feed to enhance weight
gain and are able to sell off birds at four
weeks,” discloses Dr Elloy Otieno. The
veterinarians partly attribute the use of
ARVs to “fatten chicken” to sheer
ignorance. The notion that chicken will
fatten after being fed on ARVs, as is often
the case with humans, is a pointer that
the farmers are merely transferring
observations made with the humans in an
attempt to boost the productivity in the
chicken.
But the Kenyan farmers are not alone in
this apparent mischief. In Uganda, there
are reported cases of (mis)use of ARVs to
fatten pigs, while in Zimbabwe,
Parliament was recently told of instances
of chicken imported from Brazil being
smeared with embalming fluids, normally
used on dead bodies, in order to preserve
them and make them appear fresh by the
time of being sold.
Dr Kenneth Wameyo explains that when
some farmers see veterinarians apply
extra label drugs meant for human beings
on their animals, they assume the same
can be repeated on every human drug for
animals. “Sadly, they are tempted to
proceed with such experiments without
any further reference to us, the licensed
practitioners,” observes Wameyo.
“Sensitive” nature
“ARVs work through suppressing or killing
virus particles thus reducing the
destruction of CD4 cells. This leads to
PLWAs (people living with Aids) being
able to eat and thus maintain good
weight,” observes Dr Humphrey Mbugua,
Technical Advisor, Kenya Poultry
Breeders’ Association (KPBA).
However, Mbugua says he is not aware of
any feed miller who has recommended
their usage.
Although veterinary experts fear the
exercise may be rampant, they are
reluctant to give away names of the
farmers engaged in the malpractice for
fear of “victimising” the said farmers who
may have already been warned or
because of the “sensitive” nature of the
business. A spot check by The Standard
on Sunday in the affected regions did not
yield much either as most farmers denied
existence of the vice or declined to talk
altogether.
When Dr Otieno first made the
astonishing revelation through an online
forum for Kenyan and Ugandan
veterinarians in June this year, our
contact in Thika town area promised to
take us on a guided trip to homes of
some of those suspected to be involved in
the acts.
But the man, a small-scale poultry trader
from Kenol area in Murang’a, later
changed his for fear of losing business or
getting blacklisted by large scale farmers
and suppliers: “I initially thought you
were carrying out research but if this is
for publication, please count me out. And
even if I introduce you to the farmers
using ARVs, they will not confess nor open
up on how they get the drugs.”
However, another source divulged to The
Standard on Sunday how some individuals
who are HIV positive fleece the ministry
of Health of the free ARV drugs, which are
distributed for free. According to our
source, a beneficiary of the programme
registers at several centres, where he/she
gets ARVs, which he then sells to needy
persons who are shy to openly register
for the free service, or sell to
unscrupulous dealers, some who use the
drugs for unintended use.

According to former Director of the
National Aids/STI Control Programme
(NASCOP), Dr Ibrahim Mohamed, those
who unknowingly consume ARVs laced
foodstuff place themselves in grave
danger.
Besides creating an astronomical drugs
shortage for HIV/Aids patients, Mohamed
warns that taking ARVs when one is
healthy reduces its effectiveness when
one eventually gets infected. This,
explains Mohamed, is because such a
person would have had an optimal dose
and therefore developed resistance to
the drug.
Mohamed, who is now Principal Secretary
for Commerce and Tourism, was reacting
to a moving investigative feature by Jane
Ngoiri of NTV on makers of cheap bottled
alcohol who use ARVs and mortuary
preservatives to make the brew.
However, Dr Fredrick Wang’ombe of Peak
Feeds Ltd, is more cautious. He warns
against the alarm over use of ARVs
pointing out that the poultry market is
very sensitive. Wang’ombe, who is a
broiler feed processor in the said region
with over 200 broiler farmers, says he has
not come across any farmer who uses
ARVs.
Reacts Dr Mwenda Mbaka: “It is not wise
to endorse unfounded rumours. And it is
not wise either to dispel rumours on
unfounded grounds. After rumours about
use of ARVs in brewing alcohol, for
instance, the media investigated and
came up with the documentary that
informed those who were initially
dismissive of such claims.”
Wameyo further attributes the current
development to the high production
costs. This follows government’s decision
to increase VAT rates of poultry feeds.
According to Wameyo, this has compelled
some farmers to use shortcuts, including
using ARVs.
The experts regret the use of ARVs but
call on fellow “responsible veterinarians”
to protect the profession: “I call it Vet
Medicine of Myths because the people
doing such things are not fundamentally
bent on causing harm to public health.
They are among the many innovative
Kenyans who will do anything the
grapevine, real or an abstraction of their
imagination, persuades them that it can
boost their profits,” reacts Dr Mbaka.
Standard

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