By Suleiman Mbatiah
Kenya’s livestock sector is positioning itself for stronger economic growth through better coordination, increased investment, and stronger market linkages along the pastoral livestock value chain. The market-driven transformation aims to boost private sector participation and enhance the country’s competitiveness in regional and international markets.
This renewed push comes as Kenya’s meat export industry continues its upward trajectory, driven by rising global demand, population growth, and expanding markets across the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. The country’s meat exports rose from Sh11.5 billion in 2022 to Sh19 billion in 2023 before slightly dipping to Sh18.7 billion in 2024—an average growth of 39 percent over the three years.
The Gulf region remains Kenya’s largest export destination, led by the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, and Kuwait. Building on this success, Kenya is now targeting emerging markets in Asia, including China, Malaysia, and Indonesia, while exploring opportunities in African countries such as Libya, Senegal, Comoros, and Nigeria.
The livestock industry plays a vital role in Kenya’s economy, supporting food security, rural livelihoods, and export earnings. Yet, inefficiencies along the value chain, inconsistent quality standards, limited access to inputs, and weak coordination among players continue to constrain its full potential.
In an effort to address these challenges, the African Union–Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR), through the African Pastoral Markets Development (APMD) Platform, is hosting a two-day forum in Naivasha, Nakuru County. The forum brings together feedlot operators, meat processors, financiers, and policymakers to explore investment opportunities, tackle regulatory bottlenecks, and align production with market demand.
AU-IBAR, the African Union’s specialized agency for animal resources, launched the APMD initiative in January 2025 with support from the Gates Foundation. The four-year program seeks to promote market-driven growth and sustainable development in Africa’s pastoral livestock sector.
Themed “The Private Sector Roundtable and B2B Deal Room: Strengthening Kenya’s Meat Value Chain,” the Naivasha meeting focuses on enhancing private sector participation, improving meat quality standards, and fostering partnerships to make Kenya more competitive globally.
According to APMD Platform Coordinator John Oppong, the livestock value chain is powering enterprises, sustaining millions of livelihoods, and shaping Africa’s economic future. “If we can get it right, we can use that as an engine of growth and development across our rural communities in Africa. APMD exists to create a more connected, transparent, and market-oriented livestock economy—one that links production with processing, finance with opportunity, and policy with enterprise,” he said.
Oppong emphasized that better coordination and stronger partnerships would enable the sector to leverage economies of scale, cut transaction costs, improve quality, and raise Africa’s profile in the global meat trade. He described the roundtable and deal room as practical platforms for dialogue, knowledge sharing, and building consensus among industry players.
Strengthening the link between feedlot operators and processors, he added, would spur private-sector-led innovation and investment, improve efficiency, standardize quality, and create transparent market linkages across the value chain.
Dr. Richard Kyuma, CEO of the National Livestock Development and Promotional Services, said Kenya’s 22 million heads of cattle and 58 million sheep and goats hold immense but largely untapped economic potential.
“Kenya’s vast livestock resources remain underutilized. If effectively converted into productive economic activities, the sector could easily become the country’s leading source of income and a major driver of growth,” he said.
He noted that the government is keen to strengthen the sector’s contribution to national development. “The time has come where we can no longer ignore this sector. There are huge opportunities ahead, and with growing meat consumption, the livestock industry will come out even stronger,” he said.
Said Ali, an AU-IBAR consultant, said Kenya’s expanding urban population and growing regional markets position the country to become a leading meat exporter within Africa. The sector, he noted, contributes about 12 percent to the national GDP and 40 percent to the agricultural economy.
However, he cautioned that climate change continues to threaten pastoralist communities, who produce over 70 percent of Kenya’s meat. He urged investment in modern slaughterhouses, pointing out that only seven of the country’s 1,000 facilities currently meet international export standards.
“Even though we have a good niche market in the Gulf region, we must look beyond to high-value markets like the European Union. Formalizing the sector is key to unlocking that value,” he said.
Aden Nur Dahir, Chairman of the Kenya Meat and Livestock Exporters Council (KEMLEC), urged stakeholders to embrace commercial livestock farming, feedlot systems, and value addition to remain competitive. He also warned that without proper livestock traceability and identification systems, Kenya risks losing access to key international markets.
“For us to benefit fully from this sector, we need to move into value addition by exporting cut products. That will create jobs and add value to our exports. Importing countries may soon require meat only from commercial or feedlot systems, not from unverified sources,” he said.
Maria Mbeneka, Director of Ranch Experts Ltd, said the forum was timely, as it seeks to bridge the long-missing business-to-business link between producers, processors, and financiers.
“It’s a big industry, and if we understand each other’s needs, especially from the financing side, we can tailor funding to fit the cycles of farmers and processors. That’s how we’ll achieve meaningful engagement,” she said.
Sector players agreed that stronger coordination, private sector leadership, and market-oriented reforms could transform Kenya’s livestock industry into a global powerhouse. The Naivasha forum is expected to yield new business linkages, policy recommendations, and a market insight report to guide future investment and policy decisions.