Vendor Characteristics, Practices, Microbial Contamination of Fish and Oil Quality in the Street Vending of Deep-fried Fish in Peri-urban Nairobi, Kenya: Case of Kasarani Sub-county

Aim: The main objective of the study is to assess the vendor and environmental hygiene, microbial contamination of deep-fried tilapia sold, and the quality of the oil used in the streets of Kasarani sub-county

Study Design: Cross-sectional study.

Place and Duration of Study: Kasarani Sub-county and The University of Nairobi Department of Food Science, Nutrition, and Technology laboratory between January 2019 to July 2020.

Methodology: Structured questionnaires, checklists, analytical observations, and market observations were used to collect data from the street vendors. After the collection of the fish samples, microbial analysis of the fish samples was carried out using standard methods for Total coliforms and Staphylococcus aureus. The deep-frying oil was sampled for analysis of color and viscosity. Results were evaluated using national standards.

Results: The findings indicated that all the vendors have received a basic education and that all vendors fall under the low-income group. The most contaminated part of the fish by Staphylococcus aureus and total coliforms is the gills. The highest contamination was from Clay city ward (2.46 ± 0.43) while the least contaminated was from the Mwiki ward (1.28 ± 1.17). The total coliforms and Staphylococcus aureus concentration are significantly different between wards p (<0.05) as the p-value was 0.003 and 0.043 respectively.

Conclusion: The findings indicate that the vending practices carried out are unsanitary. The fish as sold were contaminated with total coliforms and Staphylococcus aureus at high levels indicating poor hygiene procedures. The environment is characterized by poor sanitation and hygiene. The oil used for deep frying was characterized by dark color and high viscosity indicating prolonged usage of the same oil. Policies governing street vending and the environment should be reinforced to prevent the occurrence of hazards resulting from street vended fish.