ISIOLO – Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development Mutahi Kagwe has unveiled a Ksh 2.1B National Livestock Sector El Niño preparedness and anticipatory action plan to shield livestock farmers and pastoral communities from the projected adverse effects of the forecast El Niño weather event.
This follows advisories from the Kenya Meteorological Department indicating an increased likelihood of enhanced rainfall, flooding, flash floods, and localised inundation across several counties. The plan prioritises early action over post-disaster recovery, covering 24 flood-prone and high livestock population counties.
Speaking during the launch in Isiolo County, Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development Sen Mutahi Kagwe, underscored the Government’s commitment to protecting Kenya’s livestock economy before losses occur.
“The 2023 El Niño and the 2024 long rains floods caused devastating losses to our livestock farmers, destroyed critical infrastructure and triggered disease outbreaks that set back the sector significantly. We therefore need to learn from our experiences and this is the reason we are determined to ensure that our farmers and pastoralists are not caught unprepared,” Kagwe said. The plan is anchored on six priority intervention areas. The Government will spend Ksh 100M on early warning systems, climate risk mapping, emergency communication networks, and inter-agency coordination.
The largest allocation, Ksh 1.5B, will go toward procuring and pre-positioning vaccines, veterinary medicines, laboratory reagents, personal protective equipment, mobile veterinary clinics, and emergency response kits across targeted counties. This is designed to prevent and rapidly respond to climate-sensitive diseases, including Rift Valley Fever, and the increased vector burden that typically accompanies prolonged flooding.
An additional Ksh 250M is earmarked for the protection of critical livestock infrastructure, including cattle dips, livestock markets, slaughterhouses, milk cooling facilities, veterinary laboratories, and feed stores.
Ksh 100M will support livestock evacuation, welfare, and logistics operations, while Ksh 50M will establish strategic feed and fodder reserves, rehabilitate water points, and support emergency water supply arrangements. A further Ksh 100M will fund farmer awareness campaigns, biosecurity promotion, livestock insurance sensitisation, commercial offtake operations, and contingency planning.
“Livestock is the primary livelihood asset for millions of Kenyan households, particularly in our arid and semi-arid regions. Protecting that asset during an extreme weather event is a matter of food security, economic stability, and national resilience,” Kagwe said.
Implementation will prioritise 24 counties including Garissa, Tana River, Lamu, Kilifi, Isiolo, Wajir, Mandera, Marsabit, Turkana, Samburu, Narok, Kajiado, Baringo, West Pokot, Busia, Kisumu, Siaya, Migori, Homa Bay, Kitui, Makueni, Machakos, Meru, and Embu, with additional counties to be identified through ongoing Kenya Meteorological Department advisories.
The plan is coordinated under the One Health framework, integrating human, animal, and environmental health surveillance to address zoonotic disease risks that intensify during flood events. Through this action plan, the Government expects to reduce livestock mortality, contain disease outbreaks, protect livestock markets and value chains, and significantly lower the cost of post-disaster recovery to the national exchequer.
PS Jonathan Mueke who accompanied the CS during an inspection tour of the Isiolo international abattoir which will soon be launched by H.E President William Ruto said the Government’s livestock vaccination programme is already strengthening the country’s ability to access and expand export markets, with more than 20 million cattle, sheep and goats vaccinated nationwide.
During the tour, CS Kagwe also launched the Animal Identification and Traceability System (ANITRAC) drive in Isiolo County, describing traceability as critical to both securing livestock and meeting increasingly stringent domestic and international market requirements. He issued a stern warning to cattle rustlers, telling them to “find another business” as the identification tags will make it possible to trace livestock and make it increasingly difficult for stolen animals to enter legitimate markets.
He said livestock markets will progressively require properly identified animals and called on security agencies to act against suspected stock thieves, including cases where animals are found with deliberately mutilated ears in an apparent attempt to remove ANITRAC tags and conceal their identity.
Beyond tackling livestock theft, Kagwe said ANITRAC will provide verifiable information on the origin, movement and health status of animals, strengthening food safety and giving Kenyan livestock products greater credibility in premium markets. The CS said combining traceability with vaccination, structured livestock aggregation and modern processing facilities such as the Isiolo Export Abattoir will enable livestock keepers to meet market specifications, access higher-value markets and ultimately earn better prices from their animals.
