A nationwide digital livestock tracking system, expanded vaccination programme and reforms in meat production are at the centre of a new strategy aimed at growing Kenya’s livestock industry into a Sh1 trillion economic powerhouse within the next two years.
The resolutions adopted during the inaugural Kenya Meat Conference in Nyeri seek to transform the country’s meat value chain from livestock production to export by strengthening animal health systems, introducing mandatory traceability, improving food safety, increasing value addition and attracting private investment into one of Kenya’s largest but underperforming agricultural sectors.
At the centre of the reforms is the Animal Identification and Traceability System (ANITRAC), a digital platform that will electronically identify every animal using a unique code and create a lifetime record from birth, movement, sale, export and eventually slaughter or natural death.
Stakeholders say the system will help Kenya meet international traceability requirements that have limited access to lucrative global meat markets.
Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe launched ANITRAC during the two-day conference, describing it as the foundation of the country’s livestock commercialisation agenda.
The government estimates that the livestock sector currently contributes about Sh390 billion annually to the economy but believes the reforms adopted during the conference can increase this contribution to Sh1 trillion within two years.
“Traceability is no longer optional if Kenya is to compete in the global meat market. ANITRAC will modernise livestock management while strengthening disease surveillance, food safety and consumer confidence,” Kagwe said.
Unlike traditional livestock records, ANITRAC will create a digital identity for every animal by registering livestock owners, production premises and individual animals in a central database.
The platform will track each animal throughout its lifetime, recording ownership, vaccination history, health status, movements, transfers and export information before updating its final disposal through slaughter or natural death.
The system is expected to strengthen disease prevention, improve livestock planning, reduce theft and fraud, support farmers to access credit and insurance, and connect producers, traders and processors through an integrated value chain.
For years, Kenya’s livestock sector has struggled to meet the demands of premium export markets that require proof of animal origin, health history, production systems and compliance with food safety standards.
Officials said digital traceability would give buyers confidence that Kenyan meat can be tracked from farm to fork, improving access to markets in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
Principal Secretary for Livestock Development Jonathan Mueke said traceability was the most important step towards unlocking international markets.
“We have agreed that we must embrace traceability because that is what the market demands if we want to sell our products globally,” Mueke said.
He said the State Department for Livestock Development would accelerate the national rollout of ANITRAC in partnership with county governments and livestock owners to ensure every animal is tagged and linked to its farm and owner.
The conference adopted seven broad resolutions aimed at transforming Kenya’s livestock industry into a globally competitive commercial enterprise.
The first resolution focused on strengthening policy, legislation and institutional frameworks by fast-tracking the Livestock Bill, Animal Health Bill and ANITRAC Bill while improving coordination between the national and county governments.
Delegates also called for reforms in livestock extension services, completion of the National Livestock Master Plan and engagement with the Kenya Revenue Authority to review taxes on livestock inputs that discourage investment and production.
Animal health and food safety emerged as key priorities, with stakeholders agreeing to expand livestock vaccination coverage from the current 15 per cent to at least 80 per cent of the national herd.
Mueke said vaccination campaigns are already underway in 13 counties and will be expanded nationwide to control transboundary livestock diseases, particularly Foot-and-Mouth Disease, which remains a major barrier to international meat trade.
“We also agreed that all abattoirs should be manned by qualified government veterinary and meat inspection officers, while investing in veterinary laboratories, certification systems and disease-free zones. These measures will strengthen food safety, improve disease surveillance and give importing countries confidence in the quality and safety of Kenyan meat,” he said.
The conference noted that disease outbreaks continue to expose Kenya to export restrictions whenever livestock diseases are detected.
Climate change and feed shortages also featured prominently, with delegates calling for investment in livestock breed improvement, water infrastructure and commercial fodder production.
Mueke said livestock production could no longer depend entirely on rain-fed systems, especially in arid and semi-arid areas where drought continues to affect pastoral communities.
“Climate change has shown us that livestock production cannot depend on rain-fed systems alone. We must invest in water infrastructure and large-scale fodder production, especially in arid and semi-arid areas, to ensure a reliable supply of feed throughout the year,” he said.
The government plans to promote feedlot systems to improve the quality and consistency of animals supplied to the market while moving livestock farming from traditional production systems to commercial enterprises.
Mueke said value addition would also be critical in increasing earnings from the livestock sector.
“Feedlotting and value addition are central to transforming Kenya’s livestock sector into a commercially driven industry. We must produce uniform, high-quality animals that meet export market requirements while investing in export-grade slaughterhouses, processing facilities, cold-chain infrastructure and quality grading systems,” he said.
Kenya earned Sh18.7 billion from meat exports in 2025, representing a 39 per cent increase from the previous year.
Goat and lamb meat account for nearly 85 per cent of total exports, with demand mainly coming from Middle Eastern and North African markets.
Despite this progress, delegates noted that only seven out of every 1,000 slaughterhouses currently meet export standards, limiting Kenya’s ability to supply premium international markets.
Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga said counties would play a critical role in ensuring the success of the livestock transformation agenda.
He said six counties are already implementing ANITRAC with the State Department for Livestock and urged county governments to allocate resources for its rollout.
“As counties, we must provide budgets so that we can hit the ground running,” Kahiga said.
He noted that Nyeri has already registered about 110,000 cattle and plans to begin by tagging about 30 per cent before progressively expanding coverage.
Kahiga added that locally produced livestock identification tags had reduced costs significantly, saving nearly Sh100 per animal compared with imported tags that previously cost about Sh150.
“Affordable identification systems will make it easier for farmers to participate in traceability while giving the country the credibility needed to compete in high-value meat markets,” he said.
Financing the livestock transformation agenda also emerged as a major priority.
Kenya Development Corporation Director General Norah Ratemo said KDC would support investment in livestock aggregation companies to formalise trade, improve livestock marketing and stabilise prices for pastoralists.
She noted that many pastoralists sell livestock without reliable market information, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation.
“Pastoralists are not able to predict the price they are going to get for their animals. Organised aggregation will formalise the trade while enabling farmers to determine fair prices,” Ratemo said.
She said KDC would work with counties, the State Department for Livestock and private sector players to develop financial products suited for the livestock sector while reducing investment risks.
State Department for Livestock DRIVE Coordinator Maurice Ouma said commercialisation would not succeed unless the sector was protected against the effects of climate change.
“If we want consistency of quality and supply, we must find ways of de-risking so that pastoralists are willing to invest and banks are willing to lend,” Ouma said.
Ouma said insurance payouts had helped households maintain financial stability, with many beneficiaries using the funds to repay loans and avoid distress sales of animals during drought.
Private sector players welcomed the conference, saying it had brought together government, farmers, processors, exporters, financiers and aggregators to address longstanding challenges in the livestock value chain.
Farmers Choice Chief Executive Officer Felister Gitau described the conference as a turning point for the sector, saying value addition provides a major opportunity for Kenya to position meat products alongside tea, flowers and avocados as leading exports.
“Value addition remains one of the greatest opportunities for Kenya to position meat and meat products alongside tea, flowers and avocados as leading exports,” she said.
Gitau said the livestock sector has the potential to create thousands of jobs through meat processing, agribusiness and entrepreneurship while attracting young people into commercial livestock production.
The conference also highlighted the role of technology, with stakeholders calling for artificial intelligence and digital solutions to strengthen extension services, improve disease surveillance and make livestock farming more attractive to young entrepreneurs.
With livestock supporting millions of households, particularly in Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands, stakeholders said successful implementation of the reforms could transform one of the country’s oldest economic activities into a modern, technology-driven and globally competitive industry.
The sector’s transformation, they said, could increase farmer incomes, create jobs, strengthen food security and position Kenyan meat products in high-value international markets.
