A court in Timau, Meru County has fined a farmer, whose bull strayed into a private farm to mate with a heifer, Sh4,000.
The man faces six months’ imprisonment for the offence if he fails to pay the fine.
Mr Zachary Muriungi admitted that his bull broke a rope it had been tethered on and strayed into Mastermind farm in Ngushishi, Timau to pursue a heifer that was grazing there.
He pleaded with Meru Senior Principal Magistrate Thomas Muraguri for leniency, saying the act was beyond his control.
BROKE ROPE
“My bull had been tethered firmly and could not have broken the rope had it not been for the heifer. It broke the rope to pursue it and thus entered the farm,” he told the court.
Mr Muriungi, together with another farmer, Ms Frida Gakii, also pleaded guilty to the charges that on July 1, 2019, they were found grazing their cattle inside the farm without the permission of the manager.
Ms Gakii said her five cows strayed into the farm as she took care of her children who had just arrivede from school.
The prosecution, through State Counsel James Kinyua, said the two had no previous criminal records and deserved lenient fines and sentences.