Devastated pastoralists sell off emaciated cattle at throwaway prices
In normal periods, pastoralists in Samburu County could sell a single cow for up to Sh45,000.
But this has drastically changed in recent months following a crippling drought that has decimated livestock in the entire region. Two years of consecutive poor rains have pushed Samburu pastoralists to the edge, forcing them to hurriedly sell off their herds for a pittance.
A National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) report says cattle prices are way below average, with pastoralists selling their emaciated cows for as low as Sh7,000.
"Cattle prices have been below the average for the last six months due to depletion of rangeland resources across Samburu County. The poor forage and diminished water sources have occasioned poor body condition of cattle thus attracting very low prices at the markets," the NDMA said in its latest report.
Cattle producers also continue to struggle with low prices for their livestock at markets, while consumers paid more for beef at butcheries.
"The average market price for a cow during the month of June 2022 was Sh12,750, which is 29 percent below the 2016-2021 average and 20 percent below the lower range at the same time of the year. Longewan market reported low prices, [an] average at Sh7,500 for a cow," the NDMA.
Drought continues to plague many parts of Samburu County, with hundreds of residents suffering water shortages. Since 2020, little rain has fallen in Samburu, with about 200,000 residents having difficulty getting drinking water and food, the disaster management department said.
The NDMA says communities have reported several livestock deaths due to drought. The report also says many of the remaining cattle have poor body conditions.
Samburu County Special Programmes Officer Daniel Lesaigor said the pastoral region is 23 months into one of the severest droughts in the past two decades and the number of food-insecure people had risen sharply to 200,000.
The annual long rains, which usually fall between October and December failed for the third successive season and the ongoing drought is showing no signs of easing.
"Pastoralists are clearly devastated. No pastures remaining … All resources are in catastrophically short supply and our people are living on the brink of starvation," he said.
He added that communities in Samburu are facing a harsh life coupled with life-threatening hunger and competition with wild animals for resources such as water and pastures.
He said more than 750,000 livestock had migrated to other parts due to scorched fields and lack of water. Animals are emaciated, hundreds have died and thousands are threatened, he added.
"Pastoralists have migrated with a few that have remained to the neighbouring counties of Baringo, Isiolo, Laikipia, Nyandarua and the Mt Kenya region to look for water," he said.
The drought, Mr Lesaigor said, has rendered most families destitute as a majority depend on nomadic pastoralism for their livelihoods. He said they had distributed bags of cereals to more than 5,000 households "but they are not enough".
"Most people attain their daily requirements through the sale and consumption of livestock. What we have distributed is not enough and that is why we appeal for more," he added. BY DAILY NATION
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