LIVESTOCK MARKETING SERVICES DIVISION

Vision

To be a regional leader and facilitator of efficient trade in livestock and livestock products for a sustainable and prosperous livestock sub-sector through provision of appropriate policies and support services.

Mission

The mission reflects the underlying purpose of this Division;
To create an enabling environment that facilitates informed decision-making by the private sector for efficient and sustainable livestock and livestock products trade.

Mandates

a) To provide access to timely and quality marketing information relating to livestock and livestock products in the country.
b) Review and develop policies that facilitate development of markets of livestock and livestock products.
c) To generate and keep custody of time series data on livestock marketing information

Strategic Objectives of the Livestock Marketing Services Division

a) To facilitate growth in market access for the sub-sector products by:

1.improving market infrastructure
2.identifying and promoting markets both internal and external
3. dissemination of market information ( http://www.lmiske.net )

b) To strengthen capacities of livestock marketing institutions in collaboration with partners and stakeholders in the livestock industry.
c) To improve management and dissemination of information;
d) To facilitate development and capacity building of staff involved in livestock marketing activities;
e)To regularly review policies and laws governing livestock and livestock products marketing;

Historical Background:

Organised Livestock marketing activities in this country started in 1952 with the establishment of an African Livestock marketing Organisation (ALMO) under the Veterinary Division.

After Independence in 1963, ALMO was replaced with the Livestock Marketing Division (LMD).

The primary responsibilities of the LMD were:-

(a) To organise orderly marketing of disease free livestock from African Reserved Northern Arid Lands to the settler ranches in the south (The entire area was condemned and livestock movement restricted to protect livestock in the ranches in the south from Contagious Bovine Pleuro-Pneumonia).
(b) To maintain a network of holding grounds, quarantine facilities and stock routes to facilitate the above.
(c) LMD also served as a de-stocking and drought management strategy by offloading the rangelands of slaughter stock to Kenya Meat Commission that had been established in 1950.
(d) The Division provided services as a buyer of the last resort (Alternative Buyer).

Functions of the Division:

• Rehabilitation, Supervision, management and Maintenance of all the quarantine holding Grounds both along the quarantine corridor and outside in consultation with the Department of Veterinary Services, user associations, other relevant organisations, livestock producers, traders, ranchers and butchers.
• Operationalise and manage a livestock marketing information system for the livestock industry in liaison with relevant institutions.
• Review and co-ordination of livestock marketing policies and legal framework for both domestic and export markets for all classes of livestock and their products and by-products.
• Supervision, training and co-ordination of the operations of both the user management committees and livestock marketing associations
• Supervision, training and co-ordination of the operations of both the user management committees and livestock marketing associations
• Maintain records and assist where necessary in organisation of livestock auctions and liase with County Councils on the improvement and development of market centres.
• Encourage and promote livestock market institutions from grass root level to National

List of Programmes That Are On Going

1. IGAD

IGAD is a regional body based in Djibouti that is supposed to collate regional agricultural marketing information including from the livestock sector. However, the data available on livestock prices available on its web-site are limited to the following information: Kenya (eggs only), Ethiopia (none) Somalia (goats only) Sudan (wholesale meat in Dongola), Uganda (cattle steak price in Kampala). This source therefore does not at present contribute to inter-country comparisons on livestock that could assist in Kenya.

2. Arid Lands Resource Management Project (ALRMP)

The project aims to assist livestock marketing in the ASAL areas by, among other things, developing marketing centres and related facilities as part of its mandate to build the capacity of communities to cope with drought.

3. ADB - ASAL Based Livestock Development Programme

The programme is still under negotiation. Its main objective is to improve sustainable rural livelihood and greater food security through improved productivity of livestock production and marketing in the ASAL areas. The overall sector goal is poverty reduction.

4. USAID N. East Pastoralist Development Project

Its target group is pastoralists in the Mandera, Wajir Garissa area and its focus is on the private sector with the main implementing agency the KLMC association with AU-IBAR as the executing agency for USAID. The main components are the re-establishment of livestock marketing stock routes and holding grounds, establishment of a MIS for pastoralists, disease surveys, monitoring and diagnostics, and capacity building of the main participatory stakeholders.

5. AU-IBAR Pastoralist Livelihood Programme (PLP) and Other Programmes

AU-IBAR funds a number of relevant programmes including the PLP, The Red Sea Livestock Trade Commission (RSLTC) and a Livestock Marketing Programme. The former has been working towards revitalisation of livestock marketing and animal health in ASAL areas. The RSLTC is a recently commenced entity established under the AU umbrella and aims to encourage exports of live animals from Kenya to M.E countries through provision of support to private sector regional inspection agencies (with laboratories), to marketing including establishing a Red Sea Brand for African meat and facilitating international cooperation. It is currently seeking funds to continue beyond its initial period. The latter has undertaken a number of studies into livestock marketing in Kenya and neighbouring countries and is to commence a regional trade study and its interaction with ME markets.

7.NGOs, Other Institutions and Bilateral/Multilateral Funded Programmes

N/B: Note there is duplication of efforts/activities among the groups mentioned above because of lack of a single body to co-ordinate all the groups in what they are doing.

Contacts:
For more information contact, Mr. Yegon: Chief Livestock Marketing Services Division, Hill Plaza House, 7th Floor; Box 34188, Nairobi; Tel 020.2720306,020 2722601/37, Fax: 020 2721007,

Or
1. Mr. John B. Ongori
Head: Livestock Business Development branch.
Email -  JLIB_HTML_CLOAKING

2. Mr. John Maina
Head: Livestock Marketing
Information branch