Kenya deploys new digital livestock traceability system to boost sector growth
Date: 2025-12-03
By: Nana Appiah Acquaye
Semiconductor
Technologies Limited (STL), in partnership with Kenya’s State Department for
Livestock Development (SDLD), has begun rolling out a nationwide digital
livestock identification and traceability system designed to modernise and
expand the country’s livestock sector.
The
platform, known as the Animal Identification and Traceability System (ANITRAC),
uses high-availability digital tools and RFID technology to register, identify,
trace and track livestock across Kenya. The system is expected to strengthen
value chains, improve market access and enhance transparency in livestock
management, especially for pastoral communities in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands
(ASAL).
According
to STL, ANITRAC has the potential to significantly increase the livestock
sector’s contribution to Kenya’s GDP, raising it from the current 8 percent to
more than 20 percent. By providing verifiable traceability data, the system
aims to open domestic and international markets to Kenyan livestock products,
ultimately improving farmer incomes.
In
recent weeks, STL and SDLD have deployed ANITRAC across six government farms,
including Kabete DVS Farm, Dairy Training Institute, Oyani Farm in Migori
County, Maseno Farm in Kisumu, LIC Mongotio in Nakuru, and the Machakos
Efficacy Trials Centre. Deployment at the Griftu Livestock Training Institute
in Wajir is scheduled to follow.
The
next phase involves rolling out the system to large-scale ranches and willing
farmers before full implementation in six counties. A national rollout across
all 47 counties is planned thereafter.
STL
said the programme marks a significant milestone for the company, with the
Government of Kenya adopting its RFID technology as a key component of the
initiative. The ANITRAC rollout is also expected to generate thousands of jobs
for young people, aligning with the government’s bottom-up economic
transformation agenda.
