Related documents
- Is amended by 24th Annual Supplement
- Is amended by Hide, Skin and Leather Trade (Amendment) Rules

LAWS OF KENYA
HIDE, SKIN AND LEATHER TRADE ACT
THE HIDE, SKIN AND LEATHER TRADE RULES
LEGAL NOTICE 55 OF 1990
- Published in Kenya Gazette Vol. XCII—No. 4A on 26 January 1990
- Commenced on 26 January 1990
- [Amended by Hide, Skin and Leather Trade (Amendment) Rules (Legal Notice 200 of 1995) on 2 June 1995]
- [Revised by 24th Annual Supplement (Legal Notice 221 of 2023) on 31 December 2022]
1. Citation
These Rules may be cited as the Hide, Skin and Leather Trade Rules.2. Interpretation
In these Rules, unless the context otherwise requires—"brine solution" means an aqueous solution of salt;"buyer" means the holder of a buyer’s licence issued under the Act;"completely dried" means a suspension dried hide or skin which, when protected from rain and freely suspended under an impervious roof for twenty-four hours, will not lose more than 3 percent of its weight, at the time of suspension, by evaporation of water;"cured hide or skin" means hides or skins preserved by physical and chemical means and excludes green or tanned hide or skin;"despatch note" means the note authorized by these Rules in the form set out in the Twelfth Schedule, obtainable from an inspector authorized by the Director in that behalf;"Director" means the Director of Veterinary Services;"dry salted hide or skin" means a hide or skin which has been treated in the manner prescribed in rule 6;"examiner" means any person authorized by the Director in writing under section 15 of the Act;"flaying" means the opening of and the separating of the hide or skin from its attachments;"grading note" means a selection note in the form set out in the Fourth Schedule;"knife" means a cutting implement with a curved or straight blade not less than fifteen centimetres long and sharpened on the convex or straight edge, with the blade curved upwards from the handle and ending in a rounded or pointed extremity;"licensing office of an area" means the veterinary officer in an administrative district or an inspector or any other officer authorized in writing by the Director to carry out licensing duties in the area;"original owner in relation to a hide or skin" means the owner of the animal from which the hide or skin is taken at the time of slaughter;"pickling" means preserving a hide or skin by treatment with a solution of acid and salt;"prepared" means treated in the manner prescribed in these Rules;"preserving" means treating a and skin chemically or physically in order to render it less putrescible;"processing" means subjecting a prepared or preserved or skin to any chemical or mechanical treatment, preliminary to or including tanning;"protected" means protected from insect damage in the manner prescribed in these Rules;"salt" means normal commercial sodium chloride containing no more that 4 percent of moisture and 100 per million of iron and not less than 56 percent of chloride (estimated as chloride) to which may be added not more than 2 percent of sodium silicofluoride;"suspension dried hide or skin" means a hide or skin which has been treated in the manner prescribed in rule 3;"tanning" means treating a hide or skin in order to convert its substance into leather;"transport" means move or convey or cause to be moved or conveyed;"transporter" means a person authorized in writing by a buyer to transport hides or skins on behalf of the buyer;"wet salted hide or skin" means a or skin which has been treated in the manner prescribed in rule 5.3. Suspension drying
Where hides or skins are dried by suspension drying, the following methods shall be employed—4. Hanging of hide or skin
No person shall cause, permit or allow any hide or skin, when being dried by suspension drying to be hung over any support which is more than one half of a centimetre in width or diameter.5. "Wet salted" hides and skins
The term "wet salted" shall be applied to hides and skins which have been treated in the following manner—6. "Dry salted" hides and skins
The term "dry salted" shall be applied to hides and skins which have been treated in the manner prescribed in paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of rule 5 and have been suspended for drying thereafter.7. Green-hide or skin
8. Flaying, cleaning and trimming
The following method shall be employed for flaying, cleaning and trimming a hide or skin—9. Slaughterman’s licence
10. Cover-up or disguise of scratch, sore, brandmark, etc.
No person shall cause, permit or allow any prepared hide or skin to be bought or sold, or offered for sale or for export, which has been treated in such manner as to cover up or disguise any scratch, sore, brandmark, disease, lesion or other blemish:Provided that the provisions of this rule shall not apply to hide for making harness for yoke oxen or for making thongs for securing domestic animals, or for other domestic purposes.11. Application for buyer’s licence
12. Conditions for issue of a buyer’s licence
A licensing officer shall not issue a buyer’s licence unless—13. Equipment and maintenance of buyer’s licence premises
14. Opening of buyer’s premises
Every buyer shall keep his premises open at all reasonable times during the day.15. Purchase of green hide or skin
No person shall, whether on his own account or on behalf of any other person, purchase for resale, export or tanning any green hide or skin—16. Issue of buyer’s licence for green hide or skin
A licensing officer shall not issue a buyer’s licence for purchasing green hides or skins unless the applicant possesses a valid registration of premises certificate granted under section 12 of the Act.17. Employment of staff
18. Protection from insect damage
Every buyer and exporter or importer shall protect every hide or skin from insect damage in the case of prepared hides and skins as soon as may be after purchase, and in the case of green hides and skins as soon as may be after they have been prepared for sale, and, in any case before such prepared hides or skins are stored in the premises to which his licence relates in the curtilage thereof, by treating each hide or skin with one of the following preservatives, which shall be applied in the form of a liquid dip or spray or as a powder in a sufficient quantity to both sides of such hide or skin—19. Marking of hide or skin
20. Storage of hide or skin
No person shall mark or punch any hide or skin with the letters, numbers or symbols alloted by the Director under paragraph (1) of rule 19 of these Rules unless such hide or skin has been prepared or stored by a buyer in the premises to which his licence relates.21. Transporting of dried hide or skin
Every buyer or original owner, while transporting completely dried hides or skins shall—22. Despatch note
23. Application of disinfectant or bacteria agent
24. Grading note
Every buyer shall submit a grading note in the form in the Fourth Schedule to these Rules with every parcel of hides or skins purchased by him from another buyer, exporter or importer, providing that the Director may accept a grading note which is not in the form in the said Schedule if he is satisfied that it contains the particulars therein required.25. Conditions of buyer’s licence
It shall be a condition of every buyer’s licence that the licensee shall—26. Specification of licensed premises in licence
Every buyer’s licence shall specify the premises to which it relates and shall not be valid except in relation to such premises or at any other hide or skin market specified in such licence.27. Display of licence
Every buyer shall display a copy of his licence in the form in the Second Schedule to these Rules in a prominent place on the premises to which such licence relates and shall when engaged in transporting hides or skins for sale carrying and display on his person a copy of his licence in the form in the Third Schedule to these Rules.28. Application for exporter’s or importer’s licence
29. Exporter’s or importer’s premises
Every warehouse, godown or other premises used by an exporter or importer for preparing, protecting from insect or bacterial damage, sorting or otherwise treating hides and skins shall—30. Stack or pile of hide or skin or leather
In every warehouse, shed, godown or other premises used by a buyer or exporter, the base of every stack or pile of loose hides or skins or leather shall be at least fifteen centimetres above the level of the floor.31. Duties of exporter or importer
Every exporter or importer shall—32. Exporter’s certificate
33. Trading
No person shall—34. Exporter’s or importer’s books
35. Exporter’s or importer’s report
36. Registration certificate
37. Register of licences
38. Retention of books by exporter or importer
Every buyer and exporter or importer shall retain the books kept by him under the Act for a period of not less than five years from the date of the last entry therein, and shall produce such books when called upon to do so by an examiner or inspector.39. Consignment of hides, skins or leather to persons in Kenya
40. Inspection of consignment of, skin or leather
41. Penalties
Any person found guilty of an offence under these Rules shall be liable to a fine not exceeding twenty thousand shillings or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or to both.History of this document
31 December 2022 this version
Revised by
24th Annual Supplement
02 June 1995
26 January 1990
Published in Kenya Gazette 4A
Commenced