Annual Kimalel goat auction and cultural fair resumes in December
Goats at the Kimalel goat auction in Baringo County on December 21, 2019. Turkana County Governor Josphat Nanok was the chief guest representing then Deputy President William Ruto. The famed Kimalel goat auction and cultural fair makes a come backthis December, two years after it was halted due to the Covid-19 pandemic. President Ruto is expected to attend the fair.
What you need to know:
- President William Ruto is expected to attend the fair
- The county government wants to revamp the once thriving event, with a focus on value addition for meat products
- In 2019, more than 1,700 goats were sold in a record 15 minutes during a similar fair
The famed Kimalel goat auction and cultural fair in Baringo County will return this December, two years after it was halted due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
President William Ruto is expected to attend the fair.
The brainchild of President Daniel Moi, the fair started in 1986 but has not been held since 2019.
Governor Benjamin Cheboi has promised to announce the dates for the fair, but her confirmed the President and other dignitaries are expected to attend.
The county government wants to revamp the once thriving event, with a focus on value addition for meat products. This is expected to benefit local livestock farmers and uplift their living standards. Most of them depend on livestock keeping for a living.
This year’s event will serve as a platform to highlight Baringo County’s rich cultural heritage, promote inter-community harmony and showcase its tourism attractions.
“The event, whose date will be announced shortly, is a community-driven venture, which has over the years played a key role in positioning Baringo as the preferred source of goat meat in the country, in turn driving sustained demand and better earnings for farmers all year round,” Governor Cheboi said.
The 'goat county'
The region is commonly referred to as ‘goat county’, and visitors normally make a stopover at the Koriema shopping centre on the Kabarnet-Marigat road for a bite of goat meat.
The Koriema meat, which is naturally salty, according to locals, gained popularity for its succulence, thanks to the red soils in the area and the shrubs that the goats feed on.
Livestock remains the most sustainable source of livelihoods for communities in the arid and semi-arid parts of the county, Mr Cheboi said.
The devolved unit wants to sell more than 3,000 goats at the auction, to benefit over 900 households.
“All Kenyans are invited to attend the 2022 event and celebrate culture, feast on the naturally salted Baringo mbuzi and network for business opportunities,” the governor said.
Value addition
His focus, he said recently, is to bring back the auction with a value addition component so as to improve returns for farmers.
“I revived the goat auction in my tenure in 2014 and my main aim was value addition. The annual event was, however, crippled by the Covid-19 pandemic. But we want to assure farmers that it will be up and running this year,” he said.
“Our major focus now is value addition and we are looking at working with investors and partners to market our products digitally and sell them to the outside world.”
In 2014, at the advent of devolution, the county government revived the auction and introduced the cultural component to make it a fun-filled event, which saw millions of shillings raised to support farmers.
1,700 goats sold in 15 minutes
In 2019, more than 1,700 goats were sold in a record 15 minutes into the event that was presided over by former Turkana governor Josphat Nanok, who represented Dr Ruto, fetching more than Sh17 million.
Baringo collected more than Sh1.2 million in revenue from the sale of goats, which retailed at Sh10, 000 each.
By the time it was stopped, the project had earned over Sh50 million from the sale of about 31,863 goats, 2,518 sheep and 180 cows.
The late former nominated MP Ezekiel Barng’etuny organised the auction, which would see over 8,000 goats sold in just one day, many of them through bidding.
Sh141 million Maoi slaughter house
The goat auction is expected to be modernised with the Sh141 million Maoi slaughter house in Mogotio sub-county that is expected to open in a few months.
The multimillion-shilling project funded by the European Union is expected to benefit over 400,000 livestock farmers and traders, accounting for over 60 percent of the county’s total population.
The county livestock sector is expected to gain from the EU grant, which will attract investment in cottage industries in meat byproducts.
The Maoi abattoir aims to enhance commercialisation and improvement of beef production and generate income for local residents.
To revamp the agricultural sector, Baringo also plans to utilise farmers’ training centres in the region to offer certified courses on modern farming techniques and management practices to improve their animal breeds.
Farmers' training
Livestock farmers and farmers’ groups in the region have been trained on best livestock breeding systems and improved production practices such as livestock breed improvement systems, the feedlot farming system, pasture and fodder production and conservation.
Baringo has also established livestock sale yards in strategic areas and is working with the state department of livestock to establish a holding ground at Chemogoch in Mogotio sub-county.
