Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe is championing a nationwide plan to give cows, goats and sheep digital identities to help curb rampant livestock theft and modernize the sector.
Speaking during a sensitization drive in Kurawa, Tana River County, Kagwe said the government is rolling out the Animal Identification and Traceability System, ANITRAC.
The system assigns each animal a unique digital ID linked to ear tags or microchips.
“Going forward, every Kenyan animal should have an identity and a traceable history,” Kagwe said.
“This will help us improve livestock management, strengthen disease surveillance, enhance food safety and open up better markets for our livestock producers,”he added.
ANITRAC will capture an animal’s origin, ownership, health status, vaccination history and movements, and store the data on a central platform accessible to veterinarians, traders, abattoirs and security agencies.
The push comes after repeated cases of cattle rustling and theft that have left farmers and pastoralists counting heavy losses, sometimes sparking violent confrontations.
For many families, a stolen herd means years of income wiped out in a night.Beyond security, Kagwe said traceability will help Kenya meet export standards for Europe and the Middle East, where buyers now demand proof of an animal’s history.
The ear tags and microchips are also being manufactured locally to create jobs.
Livestock contributes about 12% of GDP and supports millions of households.The government says the rollout will continue across all counties.
