MARSABIT— The Marsabit County Government has called on pastoralists to embrace science, technology, and modern markets as key to securing livelihoods, even as it declared pastoralism central to the county’s economy and identity.
Speaking during the opening of the two-day Marsabit Pastoralist Communities Dialogue Forum, Governor Mohamud Mohammed Ali said the 2026 International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists was a reminder that pastoral communities are not a “development problem to be solved.”
“Pastoralism is not a relic of the past. It is a living economy, a knowledge system, a cultural inheritance and a climate-adaptation strategy. Marsabit stands at the heart of that story. As the world prepares for deliberations in Mongolia, it must not discuss us without hearing us,” Governor Ali said.
The forum brought together elders, women, youth, herders, and representatives from Moyale, Saku, Laisamis, and North Horr. It was convened by the Center for Research and Development in Drylands (CRDD) with UN funding, and also included pastoralists from Isiolo.
Governor Ali acknowledged growing pressure on drylands: more frequent droughts, strained water sources, shrinking grazing corridors, land degradation, and conflict over resources. He said markets remain uncertain, animal-health services are stretched, and “too much livestock value is captured far from the producers who carry the greatest risk.”
But he insisted Marsabit must not be defined only by crisis. “We are rich in livestock, land, culture, indigenous knowledge, enterprise and resilience. Our task is to convert these strengths into dignity, prosperity and security,” he said.
The governor outlined county priorities: protecting grazing areas and livestock routes, strengthening water and animal-health systems, improving markets and value addition, and supporting drought preparedness.
He cited ongoing programmes including the Kenya Livestock Commercialization Project, which supports the Maikona sale yard and goat enterprises; DRIVE, which provides drought-index livestock insurance; FLLoCA for community-led climate action; and the Food Systems Resilience Program for fodder production. “These initiatives cannot operate as separate islands. We must build synergy around one pastoral household, one shared landscape and measurable results,” he said.
Deputy Governor Solomon Gubo Riwe urged communities to manage resources with integrity to sustain them even during drought. CRDD Executive Director Dr. Hussein Tadicha said the forum will feed into the Global Pastoralist Gathering in Mongolia next month.
Governor Ali made a direct appeal to women and young people. “Pastoralist women sustain households and hold communities together. Their contribution must be matched by decision-making power,” he said. “To our young people, pastoralism must not be a choice between tradition and progress. Technology, digital markets, veterinary science and finance can make the livestock economy more productive and attractive.”
He also lauded President William Ruto for creating a dedicated department and allocating funds to pastoralist areas.
The forum adopted the Marsabit Pastoral Declaration, which the governor said must be “a practical compact” to be integrated into county planning and pushed to national and regional levels.
“Let this forum affirm a simple truth, pastoralism is not standing in the way of development. Pastoralism is part of the development-future of Marsabit, Kenya and the world,” he declared before officially opening the forum.
