TURKANA, Kenya – Leaders of Livestock Marketing Associations (LMAs) throughout Turkana have gathered for a capacity-building workshop as part of the De-Risking, Inclusion and Value Enhancement of Pastoral Economic (DRIVE) initiative. The goal of this program is to connect LMAs to markets both within and outside of Turkana.
Kerio, Katilia, Loya, Lokiriama, Namoruputh, Lokichoggio, Kakuma, Lochor-edome, Lodwar, Kalemungorok, Lokichar, Nakoret, livestock producers, and the County Livestock Marketing Council (CLMC) provided the thirty LMA leaders.
In an effort to commercialise Turkana’s livestock subsector, the three-day workshop in Lodwar aims to establish market connection networks between livestock producers and aggregators.
In his introductory remarks, the Chief Officer for Livestock Development, Dr Ezekiel Etelej, has asked the LMAs to make use of the DRIVE Project to fight against the drought shocks that limit the productive capacity of the many livestock Turkana county owns.
“To protect our pastoral economies, which are Turkana’s main source of livelihood, against the risks of drought, increase financial inclusion of pastoralists and better connect them to the markets locally and beyond, save to the DRIVE Project,” Dr Etelej said.
He praised the Lokichoggio’s cross-border trading with neighbours, where 90 heads of cattle are bought and sold every day, and instructed the students to think about the best ways to develop marketing ties.
Why the project should close the gap caused by livestock stakeholders
In order to give livestock owners and other stakeholders up-to-date information on market trends, CCO challenged the DRIVE Project team to invest in a market information system.
Ernest Anzeze, the Project’s County Liaison Officer (CLO) and Assistant Director in Livestock Production, who is in charge of market connections, stated that the training is intended to close the gap caused by livestock producers’ and traders’ decimal commercialisation of the county’s many livestock, which has left traders with little revenue.
“Within the project period, more than 17,000 pastoralists have so far been registered for the insurance component, resulting in payouts and bonuses of over Sh 112 million,” Anzeze said.
According to Anzeze, the project will host additional training for marketing and producer groups aimed at the first ten LMAs for ready market linkages in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Indonesia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
CLO added that the exchange tour of LMAs to Ethiopia with best practices for learning and experience sharing is one of the project’s planned activities.
With finance from the World Bank, DRIVE is a partnership project between the State Department for Livestock Development of the Kenyan government, county governments, and the private sector (ZEP-RE Reinsurance and Kenya Development Corporation (KDC)).
This comes when a peace actors’ forum in the county passed a resolution supporting the immediate closure of the Lopuke livestock market and the strengthening of security at five emerging hotspots—Naipa, Muruongor, Lochorelim, Kotaruk and Lopuke, along the Loima–Aroo corridor.
The forum, supported by the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), was chaired by Titus Lokorikeju, Director of Peace Building and Conflict Management, and brought together peace actors drawn from state and non-state agencies working along the corridor.
Participants unanimously voted to adopt the resolution
According to Conflict Incidence Reports data, Lopuke has repeatedly emerged as the main market where rustlers sell stolen livestock to unsuspecting buyers.
“Our analysis and interaction with locals revealed that the market was the preferred choice for cattle rustlers due to its distance from security checkpoints,” said Lokorikeju.
To provide temporary relief for legitimate traders, the peace actors proposed relocating the livestock trade to a secure site at Lochorelim.
The resolution was supported by both county and national government officials, including Moses Etelej Korea, Chief Officer, Office of the Governor, who reaffirmed the County Government’s commitment to promoting peaceful coexistence among communities in Turkana and neighbouring regions.
Additionally, the forum recommended community dialogues in Nakuja Ekalale and Loperot to strengthen inter-community relations and de-escalate tensions.
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