Kitui Women Embrace Galla Goat Farming to Boost Income

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Many livestock farmers in Kitui County are replacing indigenous goats with the Galla breed. Galla goats grow fast and are known for producing milk. The change to Galla goats followed the launch in 2020 of a four-year gender-responsive climate-smart agriculture project in the region by United Nations Women Kenya, the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the Korean International Cooperation Agency (Koica). The Kenya Economic Empowerment of Women project through Climate-Smart Agriculture (WEE-CSA) in Arid and Semi-Arid Central Areas 2020-23 project, is aimed at increasing investments in women’s capacity in agriculture and equipping them with tools to cope with climate change. The project is being implemented by Anglican Development Services Eastern. Galla goats are adapted to harsh conditions of dry regions. The breed can survive droughts and has high resistance to diseases.

Avia Munyao from Ndiang’ui village is one the hundreds of farmers who have embraced the Galla goat venture. She is one of 16 members of Kawelu Farmers Self-Help Group that have received training on climate-smart agriculture. She started with four kids and a buck and her flock has grown to 76. Before that, the mother of three used to have indigenous Kamba goats which took long to mature and fetched low prices. Recently, Munyao sold eight goats at Sh12,000 each and used the money to pay fee for her child at university.

“Galla goats are God-sent. The venture does not require a lot of capital. I no longer have to rely on my husband for everything. I also get milk from my goats where one goat produces one and half litres of milk daily basis and i get six litres that I sell four litres to my neighbours where a litre of milk goes for Sh50 and the milk is popular here in my village” she says.

To ensure the animals remain healthy, Munyao and others in her group have been trained to detect and vaccinate the sick ones against diseases. Galla goat farming, however, is not devoid of challenges. Lack of grazing land is a problem. The goats contract diseases during rains. Munyao lost five goats in the last rainy season.

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In Matulani village of Mutomo Ward of Kitui County, we meet Grace Mati who used to keep indigenous Kamba goats where one would fetch Sh3,000 to Sh4,000. She started the venture with five kids and a buck in 2021 and her flock has grown to 67.

“The goats are big and fetch good prices and most women are now financially stable. On average I get at least five litres of milk from my goats where I recently took a loan and I used Sh36,000 to pay school fees for my two grandchildren and purchased 10 goats to increase my flock” Grace narrates.

The Galla goat is prolific, the goats have a high twinning rate thus contributing to the food and nutrition security of locals and has been a game-changer for women and farmers in general because animal can be sold for as much as Sh18,000. The milk has high nutritional value and prevents stunted growth in babies. For starter farmers, a kid goes for Sh4,000 and a male goat for Sh5,000. In Mutomo ward alone, some 225 residents have benefited from Galla goat farming, with women being 223. Five groups received 10 goats each and as the goats multiplied, every member was given a kid and a male.

The WEE-CSA project seeks to invest in training at the national and county level to ensure the engendering and implementation of climate-smart agriculture policies. More than 800 farmers in Kitui have been receiving training, through the project. Kitui Agriculture Executive, Stephen Kimwele, says the devolved government supports the project through livestock vaccination and treatment. He adds that the devolved administration offers artificial insemination and extension services to farmers for free with the aim of improving livestock production.