Carry out cattle census to stem armed conflict

Somewhere in Saudi Arabia at this very moment, people are devouring Kenyan beef. In 2014, the Saudi government lifted a ban on Kenyan beef products. Although it is not clear what percentage of beef comes from stolen cattle, I dare suggest that commercialisation of cattle rustling is responsible for a percentage of live cattle and beef exports to Gulf States like Saudi Arabia.

The government needs to pursue this line of thought. If it makes sense, then steps must be taken to detach the link between cattle rustling and the beef market. As long as this link exists, no amount of peace talks and militarised incursions into Baringo, Elgeyo Marakwet, Pokot and Turkana will stem the conflict. I further suggest that county governments of these four counties should team up with the national government to undertake an unprecedented authentic monetisation of the hundreds of thousands of cattle that graze in this vast terrain. This undertaking could borrow a leaf from the Kenya Wildlife Service regular census of wildlife. This counting should, however, not be in isolation but as part of the 3Cs of sustainability that we conceptualised at the Green Africa Foundation – Count, Cost and Customer.