The 2026 Animal Identification and Traceability Bill (ANITRAC) will improve farmers’ returns and curb livestock theft in the country.
The government bill, which is currently undergoing stakeholder engagement, seeks to introduce a system for registration of all livestock into a database that will ease tracking and tracing for diseases and also for security purposes.
Speaking during stakeholder engagement in Kabarnet, Baringo County, the Deputy Director of Veterinary Services Dr. Jane Njuguna, said once passed, the ANITRAC bill will curb transboundary diseases, as it will ease control of the movement of livestock from one place to another.
“The Bill will lead to the establishment of a system which, with a click of the button, will display all particulars of an animal, from the owner, vaccinations received and even contact and with this, it will be easy to stop livestock theft in the country,” said Dr. Njuguna.
The bill also strives to meet the international food safety standards that have for a long time limited Kenya’s share of the international livestock market.
“We have had a challenge in the past where we have lost opportunities to supply livestock or its products to foreign countries because we do not have records of our animals,” she revealed.
The registration of animals also means that farmers can access funding based on their livestock, as financial institutions can easily ascertain ownership.
“Through these records of animals, farmers will get improved prices for their livestock. Kenyan meat for instance, faces up to 20 US Dollars less due to a lack of proper animal records, which is key in most of the developed countries, and this is bound to end with the registration exercise,” added Dr. Njuguna.
She called on the stakeholders, mainly drawn from the County Government to give their input on the bill as per the requirement of the law saying Baringo is a key on matters of livestock, such as goat rearing and apiculture, which are dominant.
Baringo County Director of Veterinary Service Dr. Esmond Kibet gave an assurance that once enacted into law, the county government will play its role in sensitising farmers and undertaking the registration of animals.
He added that Baringo is an important stakeholder in the livestock sector and that livestock contributes to 85 per cent of human food. He mentioned goat and cattle rearing alongside apiculture as the main value chains in Baringo and that the County has close to 2 million goats, sheep and cattle.
According to data from the Ministry of Livestock, the livestock sector contributes to 12 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product and the government seeks to increase the rate to 20 per cent under the BETA programme.
By Christopher Kiprop
