Kenya is positioning the Bachuma National Livestock Quarantine Centre in Taita-Taveta county as a major gateway to international livestock markets, with the facility now being commercialised to expand exports, create jobs and improve returns for farmers.
Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said the centre is expected to connect livestock producers with high-value markets while strengthening Kenya’s ability to meet international animal-health and food-safety requirements.
The facility is being handed over to private investor Blue Mountain for commercialisation as part of efforts to operationalise the national quarantine station and expand Kenya’s livestock export capacity.
The CS said the project was designed to deliver economic opportunities beyond the physical infrastructure, with farmers and communities expected to benefit from increased livestock trade.
“The project is not about putting up a facility for its own sake, but about creating jobs, opening markets and putting more money in the hands of livestock farmers and the local community,” Kagwe said.
The commercialisation comes as the government seeks to strengthen the systems required to move Kenyan livestock into international markets, including quarantine, veterinary inspection, certification and animal traceability.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development describes Bachuma as a national quarantine facility established to support compliance with international animal-health and trade standards, facilitate livestock health certification and improve Kenya’s livestock export competitiveness.
According to Principal Secretary for Livestock Development Jonathan Mueke, the scale of the market opportunity linked to the facility could be significant.
“The centre will provide quarantine, inspection and certification services for livestock destined for export, strengthening Kenya’s ability to meet international animal-health and food-safety requirements.
The scale of the opportunity is significant. An offtake arrangement cited during the event could generate demand for up to 100,000 cattle annually, while an order for goats and sheep from South Africa was cited at approximately KSh2 billion. The total opportunity unlocked through the facility was put at about KSh30 billion in potential value,” Mueke said.
The Sh30 billion figure represents the potential value of market opportunities cited by government officials at the event, rather than guaranteed earnings from the facility.
Bachuma is expected to receive livestock from across Kenya and potentially neighbouring countries, positioning Taita-Taveta as a regional livestock trade and export hub.
The facility's role is particularly important because livestock entering international markets must meet animal-health and sanitary requirements set by importing countries and international standards.
A government tender issued in February identified Bachuma as a facility for livestock screening and certification and required its operator to ensure animal identification, traceability and record-keeping while complying with World Organisation for Animal Health and World Trade Organization sanitary and phytosanitary requirements.
The government has been working towards the operationalisation of Bachuma for several years.
In November last year, the State Department for Livestock Development held a public participation forum on the proposed lease arrangement for the facility.
The government said the private investor would complete pending works and manage the quarantine station, while the facility was intended to increase access for Kenyan animals and animal products to local and international markets.
The facility was developed as a Vision 2030 flagship project aimed at supporting Kenya's livestock export industry.
Government plans have envisaged quarantine and holding facilities for cattle, sheep, goats and camels, alongside veterinary and support infrastructure.
The State Department has previously projected that, once operational, the facility could process about 500,000 sheep and goats, 50,000 cattle and 10,000 camels annually.
The distinction between this projected processing capacity and the newly cited 100,000-cattle offtake is important.
The former refers to the facility's projected operational capacity, while the latter is a market demand figure cited by officials at the latest event.
Beyond the quarantine centre itself, the government is also seeking to build a more organised livestock supply chain capable of serving large export orders.
Kagwe said the government is pursuing a County Livestock Investment Company model covering 23 Arid and Semi-Arid Land counties.
Under the proposed arrangement, each county would target 15,000 livestock farmers, with each farmer taking a Sh10,000 share.
The government would contribute Sh7,000 while the farmer contributes Sh3,000.
The arrangement would translate to KSh150 million in potential share capital for each county and Sh3.45 billion across the 23 counties.
The model is intended to create farmer-owned commercial vehicles through which livestock can be aggregated, marketed and sold to larger buyers, with farmers able to benefit from profits through dividends or bonuses.
The approach comes as the government seeks to move pastoral livestock production towards more organised commercial systems and improve farmers' access to formal markets.
Another component of the strategy is the Animal Identification and Traceability system, ANITRAC, which Kagwe highlighted as critical to securing Kenya's livestock value chain.
The system provides animals with a digital identity and is intended to allow livestock to be traced from their source through the supply chain.
Kagwe has previously said the system will help strengthen disease surveillance, curb livestock theft and support meat exports. The government began a nationwide rollout of ANITRAC in 2026, with digital identification intended to improve information on animal health and movement.
Traceability is also specifically included in the requirements for the Bachuma operator, making it an important link between individual farmers and international buyers.
The government is also looking at the infrastructure needed to sustain livestock production around the facility.
Kagwe said the national and county governments would work with ranchers to identify strategic locations for water pans and other water infrastructure in Taita-Taveta.
The investment in water is expected to support livestock production across the county's extensive rangelands and help maintain a reliable supply of animals for commercial markets.
For the private sector, the Bachuma arrangement is expected to bring capital, technical expertise and commercial management into the facility, while the government retains its regulatory role and provides an enabling environment through infrastructure, veterinary oversight and other public services.
The Ministry's February 2026 tender required the selected operator to complete pending infrastructure works, expand livestock handling and screening facilities and manage daily quarantine operations under the oversight of the Directorate of Veterinary Services.
The project also comes after years of efforts to complete and operationalise the facility.
The government's public participation exercise last year described the proposed private-sector arrangement as a response to the need to complete outstanding works and ensure the facility becomes operational.
Once fully operational, Bachuma is expected to support more than the movement of livestock through quarantine.
Its location could generate additional economic activity around livestock aggregation, transport, veterinary services, employment and other businesses supporting the export value chain.
For farmers, the intended shift is from selling livestock primarily through fragmented local markets to participating in an organised supply chain linked to larger domestic, regional and international buyers.
The government says the combination of quarantine infrastructure, animal identification, traceability, water investment and organised farmer participation will provide the foundation for a more commercially connected livestock sector.
With Bachuma now being positioned for commercial operations, Taita-Taveta is set to play a larger role in Kenya's ambitions to expand livestock exports and connect producers with international markets.
