Kitui Governor Charity Ngilu has launched Livestock carriers aimed at facilitating transportation and delivery of livestock between various markets and abattoirs.
Governor Ngilu said the return from the trucks will be re-invested back into the livestock industry.
“Our livestock traders will be well represented in the running of these trucks to ensure equity and fairness,” Ngilu said.
Kitui County has 17 major livestock markets with Tseikuru in the North being over 300 kilometers from Muthia in the South.
According to Ngilu, a trekking animal loses approximately 20 kilograms which causes the animal to produce high adrenaline making the beef acidic, tough and flat.
Kitui as a County loses about Ksh.3.1 billion per year as a result of livestock trekking daily from market to market in search of better prices.
The County Chief affirmed that she has redesigned the development paradigm to support value addition towards wealth creation among the livestock farmers and traders.
“The livestock trucks being collected are a realization of a long held dream and commitment of my government to support livestock farmers and traders to realize the full potential of their animals.
The benefits from these programs will be reaped by the farmers and traders through higher earnings. This will create wealth within the livestock sector and for Kitui households,” said Governor Ngilu.
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Kenya Meat Commission (KMC) is among the abattoirs that will be facilitated by the livestock.
The programme will enable about 1,400 cattle traders in Kitui to ferry their animals to the market faster using a fleet of trucks acquired by the county government.
This comes at the time the State Department of Livestock is seeking Ksh.670 million for livestock offtake programme in the arid areas that included Kitui to avert deaths of animals as parts of the country have started experiencing drought.
The Ministry of Agriculture said pasture and browse conditions in the arid zones are generally poor or depleted with worsening trend compared to fair in the normal situations.
This is attributed to poor performance of the long rainy season which led to minimal regeneration of pasture and browse.
