- The Livestock Bill 2026 proposes a new fund to finance sector development, disaster response and price stabilisation.
- The proposed law would establish new bodies to oversee disease control, animal genetics, livestock marketing and leather development.
- The Bill also seeks to strengthen livestock research, commercial beekeeping and training in animal resources.
A new Bill before Parliament would overhaul Kenya’s livestock sector, from disease control and research to leather and bee farming.
The Livestock Bill (National Assembly Bill No. 25 of 2026) passed its first reading in the National Assembly this week. Leader of the Majority Party Kimani Ichung’wah sponsors it. If enacted, it would replace scattered arrangements with one legal framework meant to lift production, improve product quality and open up more markets.
Financing is one of its boldest ideas. A Livestock Sector Transformation Fund would bankroll development programmes and emergency responses to disasters. It would also cushion prices of livestock products, ease trade and back agro-processing.
Disease is the next target. A Kenya Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Eradication Council would coordinate the fight against tsetse flies and the illness they spread among animals. Alongside it, a Kenya Animal Genetic Resources Centre would safeguard indigenous and other breeds, run a gene bank and support breeding programmes.
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Raw materials and finished goods would also face closer scrutiny. A regulatory authority would oversee animal feeds, breeding materials and other inputs, as well as livestock products. Its remit would cover how these items are made, imported, exported, distributed and sold.
Farmers would, in turn, gain a stronger route to buyers. A livestock marketing board would track demand, share market intelligence, upgrade market infrastructure and encourage trade at home and abroad. It would also work to steady prices.
Value addition forms a major part of the plan. A Kenya Leather Development Authority would drive processing, manufacturing, investment and technology uptake in leather. It would further back leather industrial parks and small businesses. Beekeeping gets attention too, with a framework meant to help producers run hives as commercial ventures.
Brains behind the sector would change as well. A Kenya Livestock Research Organisation would take charge of livestock research and technology, which currently sits within the wider mandate of the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO). Meanwhile, the Kenya School of Animal Resources and Industry would provide governance and academic oversight for training institutions in animal resources and related fields.
By Benedict Aoya
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