Chinese woman denies selling food unfit for human consumption

A Chinese woman arrested in Nairobi with assorted meat products has denied preparing and selling food in unsanitary conditions.

Appearing before Milimani Senior Principal Magistrate Kennedy Cheruiyot on Thursday alongside three others, Shang Li Yan was also charged with selling food without certification from the public health office.

Prosecution counsel Kennedy Panyako opposed bond or bail terms and pleaded with the court to retain the custodial orders that allowed the investigators to detain Yan until Monday pending investigations.

Mr. Panyako also urged the court to allow Nairobi public health officials to visit the scene and destroy the meat saying, “an awful smell from Yan’s house has denied neighbours comfort and some are moving houses.”

He said the meat that has been secured as evidence is perishable and that the court should visit and record the same before destruction.

Among what was retained and listed for destruction include 65 kilograms of uncleaned red meat, 65 kilograms of uncleaned fish, raw chicken, pork and crab fish.

There was also 95 kilograms of assorted white and red meat which prosecution claimed was being sold under unsanitary conditions and without certification from public health office.

According to prosecution, police also recovered five cartons of canned fish each containing 24 pieces of 250 grams which were being sold under unsanitary conditions after expiry.

The court was set to visit the scene on Thursday afternoon to witness and record the evidence before permitting health officers to destroy the same.