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Description

Wajir is the Livestock capital of Kenya. The county is one of the major sources of beef, and small stock sold in Nairobi and Mombasa. It has a vibrant goats and sheep market that trades daily while cattle and camels are traded once a week - every Monday. In 2013 estimated annual revenue from livestock was 120 million. In 2014 , the county will launch and fully operationalize an ultra-modern abattoir that will raise industry’s worth to 4.5 billion. (give the objectives and what advised the choice of abattoir- justification)

 

Table 2: Annual Revenue from Livestock in Wajir Abbatoir

Species	Value (KES)	Daily average	Value (KES)
Camel	283,500	100	5,517,000
Cattle	35,700	150	5,355,000
Shoats	15,000	450	1,642,500

 

• Total(Daily) 12,514,500
• Monthly 375,435,000
• Yearly 4,505,220,000

 

Source: Sectoral Paper, Department of Agriculture, County Government of Wajir, 2013

 

THE WAJIR ABATTOIR

The Wajir abattoir will change the fortunes of livestock farmers and revolutionize its value chain. Meat will be exported to the Middle East in various categories; fresh, chilled, frozen, beef and veal, boneless, mutton and lamb and goat meat. Operations in the abbatoir will conform to international certification including Halal standards.

• Different holding areas, slaughter areas and cold rooms, for cows, goats, sheep and camels.
• Emergency slaughter area for weak animals and thereafter a post mortem follows to ascertain disease free status;
• Eleven animal holding pens, where livestock can be retained for up to 3 days continuously being fed and watered as they await slaughtering. Each holding pen can hold up to 50 animals at any one time;
• From the holding pens, the animals file one-by-one through the surveillance area and into the weigh bridge; It has a capacity to comfortably process 1,500 animals in one day coupled with refrigerated trucks for transport to the proposed cold room at the airport. The supporting infrastructure plays a crucial role during drought seasons as farmers can dispose their animal stock without losing their returns on investment

 

Operational mechanisms

The County Government is mandated to complete the construction thereafter handover the daily operations to a commercial enterprise in the form of interested investors or a farmer cooperative society. The goal being to ensure maximum return to the livestock farmers.

 

By products processing

The project's blue print is inclusive of a blood tank collection unit to be used in processing dog feed. Hoofs and horns will be channeled into the glue cottage industries whilst skin and hides are earmarked to drive the tannery industries. This burst of business growth in cottage industries will have a direct impact on the set up manufacturing and exportation enterprises for leather work products like bags and shoes. Nothing goes to waste as dung collection sheds will supply raw material for processing farm manure.

 

Product Market

According to Kenya Livestock Survey conducted in 2006 the value of the middle east market is estimated at over US$2bi with major importers including Saudi Arabia (36%), UAE (15%), Egypt (9%), Kuwait (7%), Iran, Yemen and Oman (5% each) and Lebanon (4%). In the long-term the county will also look at entering other key markets such as the European Union market where Kenya has export quota of 142MT.

 

Training and research

Griftu Pastoralist Training College has also been resuscitated to a fully serviced livestock training institute and research Centre to support the county’s livestock resource. (consider adding)

Other opportunities for investment in the livestock sector:

1. Commercial Ranches
2. Tanneries and Leather Processing Plants
3. Organic manure processing

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