300 HERDERS FROM ISIOLO, LAIKIPIA, SAMBURU AND MARSABIT COUNTIES GRADUATE AFTER COMPLETING A COURSE IN LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION AND HUSBANDRY COURTESY OF A PROGRAMME DUBBED “UFUGAJI BORA MASHINANI”.



ISIOLO, MARCH 2024,



BY BRUNO MUTUNGA.



300 Herders from 10 community conservancies in the four counties of Isiolo, Laikipia, Samburu and Marsabit have graduated following completion of a course in livestock production and husbandry that has been ongoing for the last three years, courtesy of a programme dubbed “Ufugaji Bora Mashinani” rolled out by the Northern Rangelands Trust in collaboration with the respective county governments.



The training activities took place in their respective community conservancies, hence the herders were not required to abandon their usual activities to attend formal schools.

Speaking in Isiolo yesterday when he presided over the graduation ceremony and issuance of certificates for the graduating herders, the Director of Livestock Production in the ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Bishar Elmi hailed the programme as a major game changer in the efforts to enable pastoralists adopt better livestock keeping practices that will ensure more productivity from their animals.



Bishar noted that the government has made elaborate plans to effectively deal with the challenge of inbreeding that has led to poor quality animals over the years, through free provision of two million doses of semen to local pastoralists, in order to help them improve their breeds for better productivity.

He said that in Isiolo County, herders will receive 40,000 doses of semen for the Boran breed, and a further 40,000 doses of semen for the improved Sahiwal breed.



To address the challenge of recurrent droughts that lead to loss of livestock due to inadequate pasture, Bishar said that the ministry has also began the process of establishing 450 feedlots across all the wards in 31 ASAL Counties, with three of them already complete.



He asked the herders to put the newly acquired skills in livestock production and husbandry into good use, adding that the impending opening of the Isiolo export abattoir will pose a major challenge to the pastoralist communities in the region to meet the huge demand of animals that will be required for slaughter each day.



Frontier Counties Development Council (FCDC) CEO Mohamed Guleid said that times have changed, and that it was also time for the pastoral communities in Northern Kenya to adopt modern ways of livestock keeping, that will enable them to produce more from fewer animals, rather than keeping thousands of animals that produce very little.



Loimap Lekula and Jelina Lekiluai, who successfully underwent the training and graduated yesterday lauded the initiative as an eye opener for the pastoralists in the region, arguing that they are now better equipped with skills and knowledge to help them address challenges that have led to poor productivity in their animals including inbreeding, poor health and feeding habits.



Lekiluai noted that courtesy of the Ufugaji Bora Mashinani initiative, the herders can now attend better to livestock from their respective conservancies including carrying out vaccinations, unlike before.



Loimap said that they have also been trained on proper stocking to avoid losses, through identifying animals that have been around for way too long and selling them when the price is high, replacing them with improved breeds.



The Northern Rangelands Trust CEO Tom Lalampaa noted that the graduands are also equipped with skills in fodder production that will mitigate losses during drought season. He observed that during the recent drought season, people from distant places who had enough stock of fodder visited the Northern Kenya areas and bought the emaciated livestock that were on the verge of death at throw-away prices, went ahead to feed them in their respective areas and made quick money, arguing that this should provoke pastoralists from the region to produce more fodder and keep it for hard times.



30 Herders from each of the ten Conservancies benefited from the free livestock production and husbandry course training.