By Kepher Otieno - Reporter
Kenya, 2 June 2026 - For generations, livestock has been Northern Kenya's greatest asset and its greatest paradox.
The region is home to millions of cattle, camels, goats and sheep. Yet despite livestock contributing significantly to household incomes and the national economy, pastoral communities have remained among the country's poorest.
They produce the animals, but often capture the smallest share of the profits.
President William Ruto believes that must change.
Speaking during the 63rd Madaraka Day celebrations in Wajir, the President unveiled a KSh 5 billion ($38.6 million) County Livestock Investment Company initiative targeting 21 Arid and Semi-Arid counties. The programme seeks to enable more than 350,000 pastoralists to become shareholders in livestock enterprises involved in processing, marketing, insurance and value addition.
The proposal marks one of the most ambitious attempts by any administration to commercialise pastoralism and integrate Northern Kenya into the mainstream economy.
"Pastoralists too must own and control the businesses built around their livestock," the President declared in Wajir.
The significance of that statement extends beyond agriculture.
For decades, governments viewed Northern Kenya largely through the lenses of drought, relief aid and security challenges. Ruto is attempting something different. He wants livestock to become the region's equivalent of tea in Central Kenya or dairy farming in the Rift Valley — a commercial industry capable of generating wealth, jobs and exports.
The strategy aligns with a broader political message that dominated his Wajir address: inclusion.
With the state taking Madaraka Day celebrations to Wajir for the first time in Kenya's history, the President sought to signal that the North is no longer on the margins of the national story. Livestock development has become the economic pillar of that vision.
The initiative has already found support among local leaders.
Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi described the celebrations as a defining moment for the county and praised the administration's efforts to place the region at the centre of national development. He said the President's decision had restored dignity to communities that had long felt excluded from Kenya's development agenda.
His endorsement reflects a wider sentiment emerging across the region.
In Wajir town, livestock trader Abdi Hassan believes the proposal could help pastoralists access better markets.
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"For years we have sold animals cheaply to brokers who make the real profit. If farmers can own companies and access markets directly, that will change many lives," he said.
Fatuma Ali, a camel farmer from the outskirts of Wajir, sees the plan as recognition of an industry that has long been overlooked.
"People think livestock is just a tradition. It is our economy. If government invests in it seriously, our children will have opportunities we never had," she said.
Their optimism reflects a growing belief that Northern Kenya's future lies not in aid dependency but in enterprise.
The economic case is compelling. Livestock remains the dominant economic activity across much of the region. Yet inadequate veterinary services, poor transport networks, limited processing facilities and weak market linkages have prevented pastoralists from realising the full value of their animals. The result has been decades of lost income and unrealised potential.
Ruto's administration hopes to reverse that pattern through vaccination programmes, livestock investment companies, restocking initiatives and expanded market access. The objective is clear: move communities from selling animals to owning businesses built around livestock.
Yet the challenge remains implementation.
Northern Kenya has heard grand promises before. Roads, dams and economic projects have often stalled long after the speeches ended. Residents will judge this initiative not by the size of the announcement but by whether livestock prices improve, processing plants emerge, and pastoral households earn more from their herds.
That may ultimately determine whether Wajir becomes remembered as a turning point or simply another chapter in a long history of unfulfilled pledges.
For President Ruto, however, the stakes are higher.
This is not merely a livestock policy. It is a political and economic gamble on the future of a region that has spent decades waiting to be fully included in Kenya's development story.
If it succeeds, Northern Kenya could become one of the country's most important economic frontiers. If it fails, the promise of inclusion delivered in Wajir may join a long list of ambitions that never moved beyond the podium.
For now, the livestock remain. The question is whether they can finally become capital.