The government has commissioned the much awaited Nasukuta export abattoir situated in West Pokot County after it was constructed at a cost of Kshs 178 million.
The abattoir in Chepareria ward will improve the income of the value chain actors in the County and boost the County’s economy.
Speaking on Thursday after commissioning the abattoir, Defence and Devolution Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa said West Pokot County is among the 15 Counties that has benefited from European Union funded projects.
He said the aim of the project is to contribute to the realization of Kenya in the area of food security and monitoring projects in the business including meat processing and food processing.
CS Wamalwa said other Counties have benefited from sweet potato, mango and banana processing factories and commercialization of fishing and markets together with food processing projects contributing greatly to the improved activities.
“For the abattoir to process various types of meat and target consumers, the improved facility is expected to minimize the role of middlemen exploiting livestock keepers,” he said.
He said the abattoir will improve the sales margins for livestock producers and taking of livestock in trucks to the markets in Nairobi for processing of the meat will now be a relief to the livestock keepers.
“It is important to note that in a security expert abattoir has been funded at the coast of Kenya Shillings 178 million with the EU contributing 110 million and West Pokot County contributing over 68 million,” he said.
He said they have set high yet achievable targets for livestock to be slaughtered and for slaughter services.
“The project envisages starting at 60 percent capacity utilization for cattle, sheep and goats. We target to slaughter 18720 cattle and 56160 sheep and goats in a year so as to improve the income of the value chain actors in the county,” he said.
He said they will put an MOU between Kenya meat Commission and Nasukuta export abattoir to make it sustainable.
West Pokot County Governor John Lonyangapuo said the abattoir will promote and create new business for women who process for sale.
“Provision of revenue stream for the County through collection of cess and fees from livestock marketing activities and also from profits earned from sale of livestock products will be a boost to the County. We will also create jobs for our people,” he said.
Head of Agriculture Resilience and Job Creation for European Union Myra Barnardi said for the commissioning of the abattoir in 2010 when Kenyans unanimously gave themselves a new constitution and chose a devolved system of governance the EU was one of the first partners to come in and support the transition from the old constitution to the new one.
She said the EU supports devolution programs among 15 Counties of which West Pokot is one and have received about 110 million shillings for local economic development projects such as the Nasukuta abattoir.
“We have other projects in West Pokot, this shows devolution works and will continue to support other projects. We look forward to a time when we have processed meat across all the supermarkets in West Pokot,”she said.
Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Devolution Julius Korir and ASAL regions PS Micah Powon also attended the commissioning of the Nasukuta export abattoir in West Pokot County.
