Herders in arid and semi-arid land (ASAL) counties have been advised to find a market early for their livestock instead of waiting until their animals start dying from drought before selling them.
The Ministry of Livestock noted that a large percentage of livestock keepers have a habit of waiting until their livestock depreciate in weight and market value before they finally decide to dispose of them.
Speaking during a recent tour of Lamu County, Livestock Principal Secretary Hillary Kimutai said many parts of the country were already facing drought challenges.
PS Kimutai also urged pastoralists to embrace modern methods of livestock rearing to boost production and avoid incurring losses during prolonged dry periods.
He emphasised that for livestock keeping to be sustained, farmers will need to adapt to changes by keeping manageable numbers of animals that feed less but yield more in terms of quality and quantity.
“The weakness most pastoralists have is keeping huge numbers of livestock without minding about the pasturelands available. That’s why I encourage them to do normal trade on livestock throughout the year instead of waiting until there is a drought for them to sell their animals,” he said.
He added, “Disposing of animals in masses during a drought is a challenge we’re facing as a ministry. The pastoralists offload those animals only because they don’t want them to die. But they should remember the animal’s body has already emaciated and market weight and value are already at their lowest. This needs to change.”
He said his department was in active engagement with livestock keepers across the country on animal disease control and ways to increase productivity through keeping animals and sustaining the trade.
Mr Kimutai advised animal keepers, especially in Lamu and neighbouring counties, to take advantage of the newly opened Lamu port to conduct trade in both live animals and livestock products.
Lamu County Livestock Chief Officer Gichohi Mathenge thanked the national government for its efforts to ensure various projects related to livestock rearing and fishing are established in the region.
“We will cooperate with the national government to ensure the Sh3 billion Livestock Pre-Export Quarantine project intended to be established in Lamu is successful,” he said.
“We also have the planned Sh1 billion fish processing plant. That means the State has prioritised Lamu in terms of development.”
Apart from Lamu, the others are Kwale, Kilifi, Tana River, Taita Taveta, Garissa, Wajir, Mandera, Marsabit, Isiolo, Kitui, Machakos, Makueni, Turkana, West Pokot, Samburu, Elgeyo Marakwet, Baringo, Laikipia, Narok, Kajiado, Nyeri, Tharaka Nithi, Meru, Embu, Migori, Homa Bay, Nakuru and Kiambu.
