Kenya has adopted digital technology to boost livestock tracking and attract more investment into the sector, a senior ministry official has said.
The system will give livestock a digital identity and allow animals and their products to be traced—a move expected to improve disease control, consumer confidence and access to better markets.
According to Christopher Wanga, director in charge of livestock policy, research and regulations at the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, better information would also help investors identify opportunities and reduce risks associated with investing in agriculture.
He said a lack of reliable information had contributed to the perception that agriculture was a risky sector for investment.
Wanga spoke at the official opening of the 6th ASNET Agribusiness Summit.
“People don’t like putting their money in it because of lack of information,” he said.
The government is now seeking to change this through the Kenya Agricultural Digital System, which he said is expected to bring together information on investment opportunities, challenges and possible solutions across the agricultural sector.
Wanga pointed out that the biggest transformation is taking place in livestock, where the government has rolled out the Animal Identification and Traceability System (Anitrac).
“The system assigns livestock a digital identity and records information that can be used to trace animals through their production and movement history,” he said.
“It is intended to improve animal health surveillance, food safety, and market access while helping Kenyan livestock products meet requirements in premium international markets.”
For farmers, the technology will make livestock easier to use as collateral when seeking financing.
Wanga said the government was working to create an investment environment where businesses, farmers, counties and development partners could identify viable opportunities across the livestock value chain.
“The traceability system could provide the information needed to give buyers, consumers, and financial institutions greater confidence in livestock ownership and production,” he added.
The government has previously said that a verifiable digital record could make animals more bankable because lenders would have greater certainty regarding the number, location, and ownership of livestock.
The transformation is also aimed at opening Kenya’s livestock products to more lucrative export markets.
International buyers increasingly demand information about where animals originate, their movement history, vaccination and treatment records, and how meat was processed before accepting products into premium markets.
Wanga said the government was also finalising a livestock master plan that will identify investment opportunities across different value chains, including dairy, meat, poultry, pigs, camels and donkeys.
“The idea is to give investors a clearer picture of where opportunities exist instead of treating agriculture as one broad and risky sector,” he explained.
“An investor interested in camel products, for example, could be guided towards areas with a comparative advantage in camel production, while another interested in apiculture could identify counties such as Baringo as potential investment destinations.”
Dr Bimal Kantaria, chairman of ASNET, said the private sector was increasingly looking beyond government policy to actual implementation.
He said the theme of the 6th ASNET Agribusiness Summit, “From Policy to Productivity and Prosperity”, reflected the need to turn policies and reforms into measurable improvements in production and investment.
Kantaria said businesses needed a more predictable environment in which they could understand production costs, prices and potential returns before committing capital.
He said agriculture was receiving more financing than official classifications sometimes suggest because loans for agricultural machinery, fertiliser and other inputs can be recorded under different sectors.
“Banks are also increasingly establishing dedicated agriculture desks to understand and finance agricultural businesses. The lower cost of capital is another factor that could encourage investment,” Kantaria said, noting that interest rates had fallen significantly compared with previous years.
The 6th National Agribusiness Summit 2026, scheduled for September 9–11, 2026, at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi, is being held under the theme “From Policy to Prosperity: Fixing Kenya’s Agribusiness Ecosystem for Investment, Innovation and Inclusive Growth.”
The summit is organised by the Agriculture Sector Network (ASNET) in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development.
It brings together policymakers, private sector leaders, investors, development partners, farmers, financial institutions, researchers and innovators to deliberate on practical solutions for strengthening Kenya’s agribusiness and food systems.
