Bachuma Livestock Centre Handed Over to Investor as Kenya Targets Sh30 Billion Livestock Export Market
The national government has handed over the Bachuma Livestock Quarantine and Export Centre in Voi Sub-County, Taita Taveta County, to a private investor in a move aimed at reviving the facility and tapping into a livestock export market estimated to be worth Sh30 billion annually.
Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe, who presided over the handover ceremony, said the centre’s revival would provide livestock farmers with access to a larger market while attracting investment and creating employment opportunities in the county.
Kagwe said the government was increasingly embracing partnerships with private investors to put underutilised public assets into productive use and generate economic benefits for citizens.
He pointed to the transformation witnessed in the sugar industry after several formerly state-owned companies were taken over by private investors, saying the model had helped improve payments to farmers and ensured workers received their salaries on time.
According to Kagwe, the Bachuma facility could become a major driver of industrialisation in Taita Taveta by attracting complementary businesses and creating a wider value chain around livestock production.
Principal Secretary for Livestock Development Jonathan Mueke said reopening the centre would connect farmers from Taita Taveta and other parts of Kenya to a significant international market while generating additional revenue for both the national and county governments.
Mueke called on farmers to increase livestock production so they can fully benefit from the emerging export opportunities. He said residents of Taita Taveta should be given priority in supplying animals to the facility.
The PS also announced that the government is establishing livestock investment companies in 21 arid and semi-arid counties as part of a broader programme to reduce poverty and improve incomes among communities that depend on livestock.
Under the initiative, each county is expected to mobilise 15,000 members. Each participant will contribute Sh3,000, while the national government will provide an additional Sh10,000 per member as seed capital to support livestock trading.
The private investor, Blue Mountain, said it plans to inject billions of shillings into the Bachuma facility and give local residents priority when it comes to employment, business opportunities and other forms of economic empowerment.
Company representative Mohamed Keinan Hassan said the investor had already secured a market for approximately 100,000 livestock annually in South Africa, in addition to strong demand from countries in the Middle East.
Hassan noted that Taita Taveta currently produces an estimated 10,000 cattle annually, a figure he said was far below the available market demand. He urged farmers to expand their herds and take advantage of the centre’s strategic location.
He added that local farmers would be prioritised as suppliers to the facility, giving them an opportunity to increase production and earn more from the expanding export market.
Taita Taveta Governor Andrew Mwadime welcomed the reopening of the centre, describing it as a significant industrial development for the county.
Mwadime said Taita Taveta had struggled with a lack of major industries for decades and expressed optimism that the facility would mark the beginning of a new phase of industrial growth in the county.
The governor also called on Blue Mountain to honour its plans to establish an abattoir and tannery at the site, saying the additional facilities would create more jobs and expand economic opportunities for local residents.
