Lodwar, July 1, 2024  (Public Communication and Media Relations)

Turkana County’s pastoral community has established Working Management Committees (WMCs) to lead livestock auction systems in the county’s sale yards. This follows a sensitisation meeting for the Livestock Market Associations (LMAs) and the County Livestock Market Council (CLMC), conducted by the Directorate of Livestock, on revenue collection and market management.

The committees will include officials from the departments of livestock, trade, revenue, enforcement, and the County Livestock Market Council, along with representatives from each LMA and sale yard. Supported by World Vision, the initiative aims to improve marketing systems, restructure the management of livestock markets and sale yards, and enhance revenue collection to benefit local farmers.

During the training, Deputy Director for Livestock Production Josphine Emase emphasized the need for stakeholder commitment in selecting the working committee that will pilot livestock auctioning across the county’s sale yards. “The Barwesa exercise provided a platform for knowledge and experience sharing on livestock auction mechanisms, necessitating each LMA to present their progress and reports,” said Emase.

Livestock Production Officer Atana James elaborated on a benchmarking visit to the Barwesa Livestock Market in Baringo County, which educated the LMAs representatives on livestock sale control and marketing data collection used in auction mechanisms.

This initiative highlights the cooperation between the county government, partners, and stakeholders in livestock production to enhance development and address disparities in the sector. The meeting was attended by Philemon Kimosop (World Vision Market Systems Coordinator, Turkana County), Sarah Nakusi (LMS Enterprise Development Coordinator), Joseph Losuru (Chairperson, County Livestock Market Council), Joel Maraka (Livestock Production Officer), and LMAs representatives.