Kakamega County has allocated Sh591 million towards Livestock development in the 2024/2025 financial year.

Speaking during a public participation forum on the Kakamega County Annual Development Plan (ADP), for the financial year 2024/2025 at the Kakamega social hall, the chairman of the Kakamega County Assembly finance committee Bonface Lubanga said intends to upgrade pigs, rabbit poultry, and sheep development program.

He said, ‘Under the pig upgrading development program, the county has allocated Sh 6 million towards the purchase of 1200 pigs and train 24 farmers groups on pig husbandry and value addition and promote rabbit development through purchasing of 300 high-grade rabbits, training of 60 rabbit farmers and establishing 4 rabbit marketing centers.’

Lubanga, who is the chairman of the Kakamega County Assembly committee on finance and economic planning said the poultry feed promotion has been allocated 4.9 million shillings while Sh1.5 million will be used to construct a poultry feeds factory in th
e county.

‘100 million shillings will be used to promote indigenous chicken, while 2.6 million shillings will be spent on the establishment of a hatchery,’ he added.

The goats and sheep sector has been allocated 42 million shillings for procurement and distribution of Dorper rams and high-grade dairy goats to an estimated 6800 farmers.

The Khalaba MCA said the County government aims to establish one Artificial Insemination (Al) center which will be fully equipped for 1.6 million shillings

‘To control livestock disease the county government is set to open a veterinary investigative Laboratories unit which will be equipped with all essential veterinary pharmaceuticals and vaccines,’ he added

Other sectors to benefit from enhanced funding include 3 beekeeping, value addition on hides and skins, dairy farming through the one cow initiative, and pasture and fodder development among other sectors.

Source: Kenya News Agency