Digital shift transforms Kiamaiko’s meat trade

When Buja Omar completed university, he initially ventured into selling electronics online. But soon, the booming meat trade in Nairobi’s famous Kiamako market captured his imagination.

“I noticed something very interesting. The entire supply chain is in shambles. We have a lot of brokers in between. Many people are benefiting from farmers’ sweat, yet few understand the potential of technology in this industry,” he explained.

Known simply as Buja to his colleagues, he decided to take action. His vision has since become a reality. When the Star met him at one of the butcheries in Kiamaiko, his team had just dispatched a consignment of five tonnes of meat for export.

“That order from Dubai came through our Meat Soko platform,” he said.

Buja is the founder of Meat Soko Ecosystems and serves as the group chairperson of Meat Soko.

“At Meat Soko, we are digitising the entire livestock and meat industry across East Africa, starting with Kenya,” he stated. Customers now buy meat online.

“We have connected up to 180,000 clients digitally. Previously, Kiamaiko was not online, and the entire supply chain in Kenya and East Africa was fractured,” Buja said.

"That is why we decided to map it out and establish a conglomerate of 12 companies—the Meat Soko Ecosystem—with nine already operational within the livestock and meat industry.” 

The Meat Soko platform includes farmers, traders, butchers and slaughterhouses. They sell livestock and meat to local consumers and export to destinations such as Dubai, Qatar, and other parts of the Middle East.

Farmers on the platform deliver their goats to Kiamaiko, where the animals are assessed for quality before being sold to customers or slaughtered.

“It’s a process that enhances convenience, transparency and affordability in the industry,” Buja noted.

Meat Soko primarily markets its services via social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

“You want to place an order with us? Simply visit kiamaiko.co.ke to access our products and services.”

Meat Soko collaborates with livestock farmers across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Ethiopia. Buja is concerned that Kenya does not currently possess sufficient livestock to meet the domestic meat demand.

“We are working on establishing our own ranches. Kiamaiko has been in existence for the past 45 years. I can confidently say that nobody processes goat and sheep meat in East Africa as efficiently as Kiamaiko does,” he said.

The growth of the export market has resulted in higher meat prices locally.

“For example, meat prices can fluctuate by up to Sh250. On a typical day, goat and sheep meat sells at Sh550 per kilogramme. When demand exceeds supply, or during imbalances, prices can jump to Sh750,” Buja said.

“We aim to develop a market like Kiamaiko—a well-established and stable marketplace—where we can operate ranches capable of satisfying the rising demand.”

Buja expressed concern that the government has not taken sufficient measures to safeguard the livestock sector. He criticised the preference for exporting young male breeds.

“This means we are losing valuable genetics and breeds. What remains are primarily female and younger livestock. This has been the trend for the past five years,” he said.

The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has also impacted Meat Soko’s operations.

“We lost more than Sh80 million over three days when the airport was shut. We had carcasses in our cold storage destined for export to Dubai, Oman, and other Middle Eastern countries,” he said.

Due to the war, regional visitor numbers declined sharply, leading to reduced patronage by restaurants, hotels and recreational venues, which could no longer place regular meat orders.

“It’s a geopolitical issue beyond our control. Nevertheless, we are now redirecting that export demand to the local market,” Buja added.

Meat Soko is advocating for the implementation of the livestock tracking system, known as ANITRAC. This system traces an animal’s entire life cycle—from birth, through medication, to sale and slaughter.

“It's crucial. It will open up export markets in the United Kingdom and the United States, which require product traceability,” Buja said.

Traceability also promises to curtail livestock theft, a significant issue within certain sectors of the meat industry.

Buja revealed that the vast Chinese market remains largely untapped. The company is currently raising Sh1.9 billion to expand its operations.

The group employs scouts as far afield as Ethiopia to source livestock. “In one way or another, Meat Soko has created employment for many. I hesitate to say a million, but we have employed a significant number of people. We have 12 companies, nine of which are already operational,” he said.

Hussein Jamal is one such scout. “I source livestock from various parts of Kenya and the region, particularly Ethiopia, Tanzania and Uganda. In Kenya, I focus on semi-arid areas such as Wajir county, Mandera and Garissa,” he said.

“We buy high-quality goats that are healthy. I am especially keen on Galla goats—they are healthy due to their feed, and their meat is tender and delicious.”

Jamal negotiates prices directly with herders, pays promptly, and transports the livestock to slaughterhouses in Kiamaiko. Sometimes he works with agricultural or livestock students familiar with specific areas to assist in locating suitable animals.

“We don’t have enough livestock. Our sourcing extends across the region, but the local market here is unable to satisfy demand. Kenya’s livestock numbers are inadequate,” Jamal said.

He attributed this shortage to many people abandoning farming and migrating to urban centres in search of jobs.

“I would encourage young people who studied agriculture at high school or university to consider this industry, as there is a huge demand. Meat is highly consumed globally, with demand in the US, UK, Russia, and especially the United Arab Emirates,” he added.

Hirbo Dangire has been buying goats and sheep, slaughtering them, and selling the meat at Kiamaiko for the past nine years. He credits Meat Soko with transforming his business.

“Meat Soko has made selling meat much easier. Previously, we would slaughter and wait for customers to come or go out into the streets to find buyers. Now, with this new system, we can reach customers anywhere, and we deliver the meat to their homes,” he said.

“Meat Soko content creators use TikTok or Instagram to showcase our products and prices, which simplifies our business.”

Beyond the economic benefits, Buja emphasised that Meat Soko’s success has improved security in the area. “There were serious security issues here; clients were afraid to visit Kiamaiko because they risked being robbed,” he explained.

“However, security has significantly improved. We have worked with the community to address this. We decided to create economic opportunities through our abattoirs. Each facility employs more than 30 youths. The insecurity was largely caused by idle young people.”