Punda wangu: How innovation is bringing Turkana's stolen donkeys home

This story has significance for readers across Kenya and beyond.

The hub allows residents to report thefts, disease outbreaks and animal welfare concerns.

In Kokuro, where vehicles are few and roads are rough, donkeys remain the community's most reliable means of transport.

armed raiders drove away more than 100 donkeys from Kokuro village in Turkana County last month.

When armed raiders drove away more than 100 donkeys from Kokuro village in Turkana County last month, residents feared the animals had disappeared forever across the Kenya-Ethiopia border.

But instead of setting off on the long, desperate search that has become a way of life here, villagers reached for something they had never relied on before, an internet connection.

For families living in this remote settlement along the Kenya-Ethiopia border, the animals are more than beasts of burden. They are ambulances for the sick, school buses for children, moving vans during migration and for many households, the difference between survival and despair.

But for years, the same remoteness that made donkeys indispensable also made them vulnerable.

When armed raiders struck, or disease swept through herds, there was little residents could do. Mobile phone coverage was almost non-existent and roads were barely passable as the nearest government offices were hours away on foot. Reporting a livestock raid often meant trekking across rocky terrain in search of a mobile signal before authorities could even begin responding.

That delay often meant stolen animals were long gone across the porous Kenya-Ethiopia border.

Today, however, a small building in Kokuro fitted with computers and internet connectivity is quietly rewriting that story.

The Donkey Digital Information Hub allows residents to report thefts, disease outbreaks and animal welfare concerns instantly, linking them directly to security agencies, veterinary officers and local administrators.

For Joyce Akai, the transformation became personal only weeks ago.

She was among 13 families who lost livestock during a cross-border raid in which more than 100 donkeys were driven into neighbouring Ethiopia.

“In the past, reporting such an incident would take days because someone had to walk long distances looking for network coverage. This time we reported the theft immediately through the digital hub. The information reached the County Security Committee quickly and our donkeys were recovered ,” she recalls adding that that recovery meant much more than getting back animals.

Without the donkeys, fetching water, transporting food and moving elderly family members would have become almost impossible.

In Kokuro, where vehicles are few and roads are rough, donkeys remain the community's most reliable means of transport.

College student Nathan Ebei understands their value bettecharacteristics, such r than most.

"When our families migrate because of drought, donkeys carry our belongings, children and elderly people. They also fetch water and even transport sick people to hospital,” he says.

For many households, livestock sales pay school fees, but donkeys make daily life possible.

Ebei says the digital hub has become equally valuable.

Young people use it to access the internet, while families monitor their animals through the Punda Wangu mobile application, an artificial intelligence-powered platform.

Through the platform, each donkey is registered using a photo with its unique physical characteristics, such as coat colour, markings, scars and other distinguishing features. This creates a digital profile that helps identify the animal if it is stolen or recovered.

When a donkey is stolen, falls sick or is abused, the owner does not have to walk for hours looking for a mobile phone signal. They can visit the Donkey Digital Information Hub or use the Punda Wangu app on a smartphone. Those without smartphones can call a toll-free number.

The report is transmitted instantly to the relevant authorities security officers in cases of theft and veterinary officers for disease or injuryallowing for a much faster response than the days-long delays that once characterised life in the remote border village.

"Besides reporting theft, our parents can now speak to veterinary officers when donkeys fall sick.They receive advice on treatment, vaccinations, deworming and wound care without travelling long distances," he says.

The technology is helping solve a growing crisis.

Reports by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) and other livestock stakeholders indicated that Kenya’s donkey population had fallen from approximately 1.8 million in 2009 to between 1 million and 1.17 million by 2019.

The decline was largely attributed to the rapid growth of the donkey hide trade, increased slaughter, theft, and illegal trafficking driven by international demand for donkey skins used in the production of ejiao in Asia, Kenya’s donkey skin trade exploded after China’s own donkey population sharply declined, pushing traders to Africa in search of hides. Africa, with its large working donkey populations and relatively weak regulatory frameworks, became a prime target.

Kenya emerged as one of the continent’s epicentres, with four slaughterhouses in Naivasha, Baringo and Bomet and Turkana.

According to the Institute of Pastoralism Development and Research (IPDR), Turkana's donkey population has also fallen significantly.

The lobby’s Chief Executive Officer Mariko Akileng says the organisation wanted to demonstrate that digital technology can improve the lives of even the most isolated pastoral communities.

"The system creates a direct link between a distressed livestock owner and the relevant duty bearer through the Punda Wangu platform or a toll-free number. It means reports are acted upon much faster than before," he says.

Beyond responding to theft, the platform also allows communities to report animal abuse and welfare concerns, enabling quicker intervention by veterinary officers and law enforcement agencies.

Mr Akileng says the organisation is also working to strengthen enforcement by training officials drawn from the National Administration, Judiciary, research institutions and animal welfare organisations on animal protection laws and prosecution procedures.

The aim, he says, is to ensure crimes against working animals no longer go unpunished.

Officials say the illegal trade in donkey hides has devastated pastoral communities, where the animals are central to livelihoods.

For Albert Naida of the Association of Donkey Owners in Kenya, the hub represents more than improved internet access.

"It bridges the information gap that has existed in remote communities for decades. It is empowering local people with knowledge, digital tools and faster access to services while improving the welfare of working donkeys," he says.

Follow ourWhatsApp channel for breaking news updates and more stories like this.

Reporting originally appeared via Nation Africa. Read the full source for additional context.