Livestock farmers in Isiolo and its environs now have a reason to smile after a state of the art livestock market complete with a water system was yesterday opened. The facility was constructed by REGAL-AG while the water system has been put in place by Kenya RAPID, through financial support from USAID.
Speaking in Isiolo when he presided over the official launch of the facility, the Principal Secretary, State department of Agriculture Dr Richard Lesiyampe said that the new Isiolo livestock market is set to become a major game changer in the livestock marketing industry with its impact expected to be felt across East Africa and even abroad. This is partly due to its proximity to the ‘yet to be completed’ Isiolo Abattoir and the Isiolo International Airport.
The PS called upon the pastoralist communities living in the region to embrace education that will enable them to effectively apply value addition to the livestock products so that they can maximize profits, adding that pastoralist communities have continued to lag behind as others progress due to their failure to prioritise education.
Dr Lesiyampe said that the Isiolo abattoir whose construction has stalled since it was handed over to the County government will soon be completed by the national government with support from World Bank to ensure that livestock keepers benefit from it soonest possible.
He reiterated the government’s commitment towards cautioning pastoralists from massive losses as a result of drought through the livestock off take programme, assuring locals that the government will soon buy more affected livestock to help them avoid major losses due to the continuing drought.
