Laikipia comes to life as locals warm up to value-addition in livestock farming

Cattle calves grazing in Rumuruti, Laikipia county.

More people are flocking to Laikipia, seeking to tap into new opportunities in horticulture and livestock rearing.

For years, investors avoided the region, located on the leeward side of Mt Kenya, due to its low and erratic rainfall, which affects both agriculture and pastoralism.

Samuel Ole Pareyo and Moses Tanui from the Maramanet area say that locals have yet to fully exploit the region’s potential, largely due to a lack of guidance on value-addition programs.

However, they are now learning from newcomers who have established successful livestock farms, yielding better returns on their investments.

Pareyo notes that local pastoralists are often exploited by middlemen due to low education levels.

“What I earn from the market is not enough because pastoralists are taken advantage of by middlemen. Private slaughterhouses equipped with cold rooms should be established for community use, enabling us to compete with the Kenya Meat Commission (KMC),” Pareyo said.

Mzee Tanui, in his 70s, highlighted that the value of livestock has been overlooked for years because many farmers lack education on value-addition techniques.

“On market days in Laikipia, traders from far and wide come searching for the best bulls to buy,” said Tanui, who owns a herd of 70 animals.

In the Runyeki and Doldol areas of Laikipia North, community leader Geoffrey Lusiyo explained that revenue from livestock sales has transformed the community, funding better education and healthcare for their children.

“Controlled grazing has been crucial, as we’ve been introduced to the idea of stocking only as many animals as a family can feed during drought,” Lusiyo said.

Agricultural entrepreneur John Gitogo stressed the need to introduce livestock farmers to feedlots to help them fatten their animals and gain higher returns.

He emphasised the importance of community-controlled feedlots to ensure locals benefit from their livestock, particularly in the face of climate change.

Gitogo suggested that the county government should intervene to prevent exploitation by establishing fattening centres in the villages.

Farmers, he added, should be educated on feeding their animals a high-nutrition diet, combined with roughage, to maximize weight gain in the shortest time possible.

“The practice of commercial cattle fattening has been successful in countries like Botswana and Namibia, which have some of the best livestock breeds. We need to empower local communities to capitalise on their resources,” Gitogo said.

He further noted that implementing structured livestock programmes would help locals better control the spread of animal diseases.

Martin Ngure, a resident of Olmoran sub-county, called for financial institutions to support these initiatives.

“The Agriculture Finance Corporation (AFC) and other financiers should facilitate livestock programs to ensure feedlots are effective,” Ngure said.

Laikipia County Government Finance Chief Officer Daniel Ngumi affirmed that livestock rearing is a key economic activity in the county, which sits on an ideal plateau for the venture.

“We are working to educate more farmers on the benefits of embracing modern farming technologies to increase profits,” Ngumi said.