The Cage Free Campaign in Kenya

Cage-free advocacy is on the rise in Africa and Kenya is not exceptional. Animal welfare groups are working tirelessly to promote good animal welfare practices. Across the continent, welfare organizations are driving a cage-free movement that will see millions of layer hens rescued from their cages. This mission, driven by animal welfare advocates, is making positive and remarkable changes. Corporate entities like supermarkets and hotels are transitioning to source eggs from cage-free farmers. With such commitments, we are committed to the welfare of layer hen birds not being the same again. However, in an effort to dismantle these system's cruelties, animal advocates encounter setbacks from different actors especially those in the food industry. Despite all this, they have remained true to the course, conducting online activism campaigns, and calling on companies and individuals to uphold animal welfare in their chain of operation.

In Kenya, Animal welfare organizations like Utunzi Animal Welfare are carrying out grassroots sensitization to corporate entities, farmers, and students across the counties. These advocacy strategies are important in making the public and key actors in the food industry cognizant of the welfare implications the animals are kept into. Utunzi Animal Welfare has been engaging supermarkets, veterinarians, farmers, students, research institutions, and other stakeholders in spreading the cage-free awareness gospel. Fortunately, this has yielded remarkable fruits that have seen supermarkets and hotels like Carrefour, Kempinski Villarosa, and local bakeries committing to sourcing eggs from cage-free farmers. Some of these corporates committing to transition fully in the coming years, 2025-2030.

In Universities and colleges, Utunzi has been engaging the youths on how to make use of social media to make a difference. Social media is a powerful tool that, when used diligently, greater changes can be made. Similarly, Utunzi has been organizing and participating in important events like World Animal Day and World Egg Day to amplify the importance of transitioning to cage-free.

As Utunzi, we are committed to ensuring that the layer hen is completely freed from the battery cages. There are so many atrocities related to battery cages and that is why we are championing a healthy system. To win this campaign, we are fully maximizing the social media platforms to reach every person in the world, across continents and countries. We are also calling all veterinarians, students, farmers, and animal welfare entities to soldier on and fight for our feathered friends. In the words of Hellen Keller, 'Alone we can do little, together we can do so much.' Together we can build a more compassionate future for the animals!