When the government initiated a key multimillion shillings’ livestock processing project in Taita Taveta in 2015, owners of large ranches in the region were upbeat.
The Sh380 million Bachuma Livestock Export Processing Zone (LEPZ) project in Taita Taveta County; a key initiative under former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Big Four Agenda, was poised to revolutionise Kenya's livestock industry by providing a direct channel to lucrative overseas markets, particularly in the Middle East.
In anticipation of the project, ranchers invested in increasing their number of livestock and turning their huge chunks of land into ideal environments whose meat products would meet international standards.
Nearly a decade later, the project has become a white elephant and a symbol of unfulfilled promises to the region.
It remains incomplete, with 90 percent of the work reportedly done but the final steps to make it operational remain elusive.
Stakeholders said the impact of the stagnation is felt as the project’s delay has been a source of frustration for local ranchers and traders, who have been anticipating the economic benefits it envisioned.
Taita Taveta has over 30 ranches that are holding and fattening grounds for livestock before they are exported.
The ranches are disease-free zones hence ideal for livestock grazing and attract thousands of livestock that are exported to the Middle-East region.
Taita Taveta Wildlife Conservancies Association chairperson Mcharo Bong’osa said the ranches which were converted to conservancies were expecting the project to boost livestock and beef export trade by facilitating access to markets.
"We have the capacity to meet the demands of the Middle East market. Our ranches are primed to be the staging grounds for livestock exports," Mr Bong’osa said.
Once operational, the facility which is located on 15 acres of land is expected to hold up to 100,000 head of cattle and significantly boost livestock exports.
This would not only improve sustainable livelihoods and food security in the county and the country at large but also capitalise on the high demand for East African meat in countries such as Saudi Arabia and Oman.
However, without the LEPZ, the ranchers are unable to capitalise on this advantage. The promise of accessing the lucrative markets remains unfulfilled.
Mr Bong’osa said some of the livestock were wiped away by the drought that occurred in the last six years.
He said the ranches were forced to sell off their livestock at a throw-away price to minimise losses.
"If the market was there we would not have incurred such losses. Our ranches were ready, our livestock were ready, we need the government to deliver on its promise but unfortunately, we don't have any communication from the relevant department," he said.
Despite the government’s announcement in 2022 to allocate an additional Sh100 million to complete the project, the Bachuma LEPZ has been mired in delays and setbacks.
In 2020, the government terminated its contract with Techniques Supplies Limited due to the contractor’s failure to meet deadlines but was later reinstated to enable the stalled project to be completed due to legal implications.
Two years ago, the previous government through the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock had stated that the project would be handed over to the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF), but they too did not take over the project as expected to oversee its completion due to unspecified “unavoidable circumstances.”
The last government was planning for public/private partnerships between the government and investors. The partnership was to oversee the running of the facility for traders to access the export market.
Meanwhile, the Taita Taveta County government has written to the national government to have the facility devolved.
The Taita Taveta County Executive for Agriculture, Erick Kyongo, has urged the national government to expedite the completion of the LEPZ, highlighting its potential impact on the region’s ranchers.
"We want it handed over to us to run it. We have written to the Principal Secretary for Livestock because we want to utilise the facility," he said.
He however said once the facility is devolved, the county will establish a modern abattoir and a tannery for value addition. He said the move will not only have ripple effects across the county's economy but also the economic vitality of the entire country.
"We are not keen on exporting live animals. We want to add value which will enable us to generate employment and revenue for our county government. We will also introduce feedlots there to fatten the livestock," he said.
He said the county government is working with the ranches to ensure that they are fully utilised. The department is also working towards developing a County Livestock Movement Act to restrict the movement of illegal herders and thereby prevent livestock diseases.
"We are doing all this to prepare for the operationalisation of the facility. The Act is in its final stages. On Wednesday we will present it to the assembly's committee on Agriculture and Livestock then later table it to the cabinet then take it to the assembly for approval," he said.
County Commissioner Josephine Onunga said the government was aware of the delay and had noted the concerns of the stakeholders.
She said the County Project Implementation Committee which she leads, will visit all stalled projects in the county for assessment in a view of ensuring that they are completed.
"We are doing that soon because this is a very important project for the country. We will embark on the exercise to see that resources are allocated for all the stalled projects for them to achieve their purpose," she said.
