Food safety problems pose a great threat to the health of consumers with the greatest burden in developing countries. Street-vended foods play a key role in providing many urban dwellers with cheap, nutritious, and accessible food, but when prepared in an unhygienic and unregulated environment, they could contribute to increased food safety burden. The study investigated the microbiological recovery of work surfaces and chicken sold in Korogocho and Kariobangi North slums in Nairobi County as well as evaluating vendors’ hygiene and food safety practices. This is a cross-sectional study on an exhaustive sample size of 15 vendors, and swabs of the equipment and work surfaces and chicken were taken for microbial analysis. An exhaustive sample size of 15 vendors was selected for the study. The results showed that most vendors operate under unhygienic conditions. Microbial results revealed that raw portions of chicken had the highest contamination with all the four tested microorganisms (p<0.05). The level of E. coli ranged from 6.42±1.64 to 2.22±1.88; Salmonella spp., 6.42±1.64 to 2.22±1.88; Staphylococcus aureus, 6.92±1.32 to 2.86±1.61; and Campylobacter jejuni, 8.95±0.94 to 4.66±2.67 log CFU/g in raw and cooked chicken samples, respectively. The predictors of E. coli contamination were the presence of pests and flies, unclean vending place, vending environment littered with waste, washing of hands by the vendor, and lack of appropriate clothing among the vendors at R2 of 0.33. The vendor practices and environmental hygiene of the vending place would not significantly (p>0.05) predict contamination with Campylobacter and Staphylococcus. Consequently, there is a need to regulate the informal food processing and marketing channels, besides trainings, infrastructural development, and code of practice and inspections which are recommended in order to enhance the quality and safety standards of street-vended chicken products.

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Aim: To determine the food safety risks of consumption of street-vended poultry products, to evaluate the determinants of microbial safety and the risk rank of these products. Study Design: A cross-sectional survey was done in the Korogocho and Kariobangi North slums among the consumers and vendors to assess their food safety knowledge and practices. Swab samples of the cooking equipment, utensils, and personnel, raw and cooked portions of poultry were collected for microbial quality evaluation. The most prevalent microorganism was assessed for its qualitative risk rank using the Risk Ranger software. Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out in the capital city of Kenya, Nairobi, from June 2018 to July 2018. Methodology: A total of 15 vendors were exhaustively sampled and included in the study with the food safety and hygiene practices evaluated using a food safety checklist. The snowballing sampling technique was used to locate all the vendors. Samples of raw and cooked street vended poultry products were subjected to microbial analysis. All samples were collected in sterile polythene bags followed by transportation to the laboratory of the Department of Food Science and Technology of the University of Nairobi and microbial analysis. Results: Campylobacter jejuni contamination, in both raw and cooked poultry products, was 8.95±0.94 log10 CFU g-1 and 4.66±2.67 log10 CFU g-1 respectively; the probability of contamination of raw street-vended poultry was found to be 48.96%. The mean weekly intake of the poultry was reported 140.0 g per person. The probability of campylobacter infection in an individual consumer was found as 7.12x10-3 with the predicted illnesses among the population found as 1.11x106 cases. The qualitative risk estimate from the study was reported as 67, above the limit of 48 for medium risk. Conclusion: The study concluded that Campylobacter jejuni posed high food safety risks as a resultant from the consumption of street-vended poultry.