Scale up the livestock off-take programme – Business Daily
A woman guides a herd of cattle in Perkerra, Baringo County. PHOTO | NMG
Reports that livestock prices have plummeted to Sh5,000 in drought-hit regions are disheartening, especially for farmers who rely on farming as a source of livelihood.
Equally unfortunate is the fact that the national and county governments have done little to cushion the pastoralists whose main source of income is livestock farming.
This appears to follow a similar script where authorities are always found flat-footed in times of disasters, raising concerns about the country’s disaster preparedness.
We urge the government to move with speed and rescue the pastoralist communities from the pain of selling their animals at a throwaway price thereby losing their source of livelihood.
It should also find a lasting solution to a problem that keeps recurring every dry season. Already, experts have warned of unpredictable weather patterns, which are likely to affect nomads.
In the short term, the government through the Kenya Meat Commission should increase allocation to the animal off-take programme as parts of the country continue to grapple with a biting drought.
