This cross-sectional study assessed food safety knowledge, attitudes, and practices among poultry vendors operating in Burma Market, a large urban wet market in Kamukunji Sub-county, Nairobi, Kenya. Data collection took place between 1 July and 31 October 2025. Burma Market was selected because it is a central poultry trading site where live birds are sold in cages and frequently slaughtered on site, creating multiple opportunities for contamination and cross-contamination along the poultry value chain.
The target population comprised poultry vendors who housed chickens in cages and conducted slaughtering activities primarily within the market. Eligible participants were aged 18 years and older and provided informed consent. Convenience sampling enrolled 141 poultry vendors. The sample size exceeded the minimum calculated using Cochran’s formula for a finite population (estimated vendor population of 200), where the minimum required was 132 vendors to achieve a 95% confidence level with a 5% margin of error.
Researchers used a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire administered on the Open Data Kit (ODK) platform. The tool included 22 knowledge items, 5 attitude items, and 8 practice items using five-point Likert scales. Knowledge domains covered hazard entry points, sources of contamination, symptoms of foodborne illness, signs of sick birds, and foodborne hazards. Scores for knowledge, attitude, and practice were categorized using an 80% threshold based on Bloom’s cut-off point method, which is commonly applied in KAP studies.
Overall, food safety knowledge was low: 70.9% of vendors fell below the 80% Bloom cut-off for adequate knowledge. The reported findings indicate substantial gaps in vendor awareness of contamination routes and signs of foodborne illness in this wet market setting. The study links these knowledge deficits to the broader context of informal market operations where slaughter and handling occur within the retail environment.
Negative attitudes toward food safety were observed in 59.6% of vendors, while 51.1% demonstrated poor food safety practices by the study’s scoring criteria. Positive attitude scores, however, were associated with better practices: vendors with positive attitudes had higher odds of good food safety practices (OR = 2.196, 95% CI = 0.998–4.834, p = 0.049). These results suggest that attitudes are an important behavioral driver in this population.
The study identified several demographic and socioeconomic correlates of KAP outcomes:
Age: Younger vendors (18–24 years) had significantly lower odds of good knowledge (OR = 0.270, 95% CI = 0.029–2.197, p = 0.044) and good practices (OR = 0.193, 95% CI = 0.136–2.327, p = 0.043) compared with vendors aged 45 years and older.
Gender: Female vendors had lower odds of good food safety practices compared with male vendors (OR = 0.411, 95% CI = 0.182–0.926, p = 0.032).
Household income: Income strata were associated with mixed outcomes. Middle-income vendors (USD 154–231) demonstrated higher knowledge but poorer attitudes relative to higher earners (≥ USD 232), with an odds ratio for poorer attitudes of 0.335 (95% CI = 0.125–0.898, p = 0.030). Low-income vendors had lower odds of good practices (OR = 0.254, p = 0.046).
These associations indicate that age, sex, and socioeconomic status influence food safety behaviors in this urban wet market context.
The introduction and spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the poultry value chain is a central concern highlighted by the study. The authors note that wet market practices—on-site slaughter, limited cold-chain storage, inadequate sanitation, and poor waste disposal—create conditions that facilitate contamination by foodborne pathogens (for example, Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Campylobacter) and the potential dissemination of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. The study cites prior reports of multidrug-resistant Salmonella and ESBL-producing E. coli detected in wet market environments in other settings to contextualize the risk.
The study concludes that in this Nairobi wet market, food safety behaviors among poultry vendors are shaped not only by knowledge but also by vendor attitudes and socioeconomic constraints. Because attitudes and structural factors (such as access to hygiene infrastructure) appeared to influence practices, the authors recommend that interventions go beyond knowledge-based training. Effective strategies should strengthen risk perception, address behavioral drivers, and improve access to affordable hygiene infrastructure within wet markets to reduce the risk of contamination and transmission of pathogens, including antimicrobial-resistant organisms.
Notes on limitations
The source reports convenience sampling and the study setting limited to a single large market, Burma Market, which may affect generalizability to other markets or regions. No additional methodological limitations or detailed item-level results beyond those summarized here were reported in the provided source excerpt.