The government will start digital livestock tagging to end cattle rustling, Agriculture CS Peter Munya has said.
He said the government has allocated resources for the programme and warned cartels against fighting the initiative, which is meant to improve security and farmers' income.
“Tagging microchip will be used so that it will be easier, effective and efficient to monitor and trace stolen livestock. We have done piloting and will soon launch the project. I know there are cartels who will fight back," Munya said.
"We can’t always depend on the police for animal recovery. They are not enough to secure people and livestock. There is money to start the digital tagging project.”
The CS spoke on Friday at RDU in Tigania East and Ndomuru in Igembe North during the ongoing nationwide animal vaccination of programme.
He said the only way to tap into the big beef market in the Middle East is through creating disease-free zones.
Munya said The government has a strategy to create a disease-free zone in Meru, Isiolo, Laikipia, Samburu and surrounding areas.
“This will increase value addition. Once certified, there will be confidence that diseases will not be spread from animals to humans. We will start a slaughterhouse and enhance coordinated programme for huge foreign markets. We should no longer rear livestock as a way of life, but as an investment to generate wealth,” Munya said.
Munya said farmers must move away from the old ways of doing things and adopt technology to make profit.
The CS urged county governments to improve their response to the needs of herders, especially vaccination and disease control measures.
Edited by A.N