Animal Health and Industry Training Institute (AHITI)

The Animal Health and Industry Training Institute (AHITI) Kabete, was started to provide training for middle grade technicians and field extension staff in livestock and related disciplines. The project was a part of a wider scheme of development of the livestock industry in East Africa.

Among courses offered include Diploma in Leather Technology designed to facilitate growth of the livestock sub-sector through production of value-added goods using appropriate and environmentally friendly technologies. In essence this is to ensure that farmers and other stakeholders are educated that final quality of hides and skins is dependent on the entire production process from animal nutrition, control of ecto-parasitic diseases and adoption of standardized flaying procedures to storage procedures.

This means that handling of the raw hides and skins involves both ante and post slaughter operations which need specialized skills in animal husbandry, slaughtering and curing methods. It is estimated that 60% of the damages to hides and skins occur during the slaughtering process, while 40% are due to pre-slaughter up keep of the animal such as tick bites, thorn marks, brand marks and could be recoverable if appropriate measures are taken in tick control, physical branding and during grazing.

AHITI KABETE