Kenya Meat Commission on road to recovery after Military takeover

The Kenya Meat Commission has cleared the bulk of debts owed to livestock farmers and other suppliers since the military took over by in September.

Interior CS Dr. Fred Matiang’i said supply of livestock to the Commission has also increased by an estimated 30 percent after the takeover of the loss-making firm by the Kenya Defence Forces.

“Through the government transfer of KMC to the Ministry of Defence, we have managed to clear Ksh 250M debt owed to livestock farmers. A further Ksh 150M has been allocated to clear debts to other general suppliers in this financial year. Other managerial issues at KMC facilities are now being effectively addressed.”

The CS who also chairs the Cabinet committee that coordinates national government development projects defended the transfer saying the move was informed by the mutual interests of the two organizations and those of livestock farmers and the country in general.

“As its largest client, the military had a natural stake in seeing that the KMC was efficiently managed while the meat processor stood to benefit from a guaranteed market,” Dr.Matiang’i said.

He was speaking during the first of the six planned virtual public lectures on the opportunities and challenges facing the livestock and other sectors under the Big Four agenda that was organised by the President’s Delivery Unit and the Strathmore Business School.

He said under the military watch, KMC has put to an end the recurrent practice of sinking public funds to keep it afloat.

“We have lost opportunities to develop KMC under the frameworks we had. We kept sinking money in tune of billions. It is because of incompetence, poor management and corruption that the parastatal could not move. I believe what we want is results. We need to focus on results and not processes,” Dr.Matiangi said.

The CS further said the government is keen to position KMC as the main meat supplier to public institutions such as prisons and learning institutions to boost its client base and to promote demand for its services while also eyeing the lucrative foreign market.

The government, he added, also plans to invest more in livestock to create jobs and revenue opportunities for a sector that currently contributes 12 percent to the GDP and employs half of the agriculture labour force.

Among the investments planned for are in the leather industry to exploit abundant hides and skins and in zoning facilities to guarantee quality for meat and other livestock products targeted for exports.