16/07/2026
SAMBURU COUNTY TAKES A BOLD STEP TOWARDS TRANSFORMING THE PASTORAL LIVESTOCK ECONOMY THROUGH COOPERATIVES 📍Maralal
The National Livestock Development & Promotion Service (NLDPS), in collaboration with the State Department for Cooperatives, The Cooperative University of Kenya, and Strathmore University, today convened a high-level stakeholder forum at Umbrella Hotel, Maralal, Samburu County to advance the implementation of the Pastoral Livestock Cooperative Model (PLCM).
Led by Hon. Alois Lentoimaga, Board Director of NLDPS, the multi-agency team brought together leaders including Samburu County Secretary Mr. Wilson Lesuuda, NLDPS Board Directors Mr. Chris Erukudi and Mr. Andrew Njogu from The National Treasury, alongside officials from academia, county government, and key stakeholders.
In his keynote, Hon. Lentoimaga emphasized that while livestock remains the backbone of livelihoods in Kenya’s ASALs, pastoralists face challenges such as fragmented markets, weak producer organizations, limited access to finance, inadequate value addition, and climate shocks. He highlighted the PLCM as a transformative solution to organize pastoralists into strong, commercially viable cooperatives — improving governance, access to finance, markets, and value addition, while enabling producers to compete locally, regionally, and internationally.
The forum reaffirmed the shared commitment of NLDPS and partners to work closely with the County Government of Samburu and all stakeholders to implement the PLCM, unlock the immense potential of the livestock sector, strengthen pastoral livelihoods, create jobs, enhance food security, and contribute to Kenya’s sustainable economic growth.
Together, we are transforming livestock into wealth by empowering pastoral communities through strong, resilient, and market-driven cooperatives.