Kenya Maps Livestock Pathways to Boost Pastoral Trade and Resilience
By Benson Ltamely
Pastoralist communities, traders and policy makers in Kenya are poised to receive accurate and timely information through the National Livestock Market Information System (NLMIS) as the government conducts the first-ever mapping of national livestock routes.
The mapping exercise, which aims to chart Kenya’s vital migratory corridors, grazing areas, water points, markets and infrastructure that supports livestock mobility, was funded by Supporting Pastoralism and Agriculture in Recurrent and Protracted Crises (SPARC).
The Intergovernmental Authority on Development – Centre for Pastoral Areas and Livestock Development (IGAD-ICPALD) implemented the project in collaboration with the State Department for Livestock Development while the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) provided the technical know-how for the exercise.
To safeguard pastoral mobility across county and national borders, community knowledge of livestock pathways was translated into comprehensive and authoritative digital maps, a first-ever endeavour in Kenya.
The mapped routes are expected to guide future government investments in veterinary services, pasture development, water infrastructure and markets. This, ILRI says, will protect pastoralist livelihoods while boosting the resilience of the livestock sector.
Speaking during the opening of the national livestock route mapping forum in Nairobi in May 2025, Assistant Director of Livestock Production at the State Department for Livestock Development, Blaise Okinyi Akite underscored the importance of the exercise amidst the challenges facing the sector.
“Without mobility, pastoralism cannot survive. This mapping exercise comes at a critical time when land use changes across many counties are threatening the very foundation of our livestock systems,” Blaise Okinyi Akite warned.
Kenya’s livestock mobility contributes more than $1.1 billion to the pastoral economy. It is also central to regional trade within the IGAD bloc.
However, pastoralism, which often relies on open routes to access grazing lands and water sources, faces threats from climate change, land division, invasive species, infrastructure development and weak policy enforcement.
ILRI researcher, Mohammed Yahya Said, who led the technical mapping sessions emphasized the importance of the exercise as critical for the future of both people and animals.
“What we are producing is more than maps; it is a foundation for smarter planning, better investments, and more resilient pastoral systems. These routes are the arteries of our livestock economy and understanding them is critical for the future of both people and animals,” Mohammed Yahya Said noted.
As one of Africa’s most significant livestock zones, the IGAD region, supports 43% of the continent’s cattle (160 million), 34% of its sheep and goats (308 million) and nearly half of the world’s camels (19 million) amounting to 488 million animals.
In some member states, pastoralism contributes up to 70 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
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