Overview

Our objective is to reduce extreme poverty by increasing income for communities through training, mentorship and provision of business development grants.

The Opportunity Gap

Livestock is the cornerstone of livelihoods for many households across arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs) in Kenya, contributing approximately 12% to the national GDP and up to 42% of agricultural GDP. Yet, the full economic and nutritional potential of the livestock sector remains largely untapped. Communities that rely heavily on livestock often face challenges such as climate change, poor animal husbandry practices, limited access to markets, low value addition, and inadequate veterinary services.

Additionally, there are cultural and systemic barriers that limit women and youth participation in livestock value chains, despite their significant role in production and processing. The result is a sector that holds great promise but is hindered by inefficiencies, missed income opportunities, and high vulnerability to climate shocks.

To unlock sustainable economic growth in Kenya’s pastoral and mixed farming zones, there is a pressing need to transition livestock keeping from a subsistence activity to a commercially viable enterprise.

How We’re Driving Change

The Mifugo Ni Mali program (Swahili for “Livestock is Wealth”) is KCB Foundation’s flagship agribusiness initiative that supports pastoralist and agro-pastoralist communities in arid and semi-arid regions. It is aimed at transforming the livestock sector into a vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable economic driver. We work with counties, research institutions, and private sector players to implement practical, scalable solutions across the livestock ecosystem.

The program targets to reach producer organizations in livestock value chain in dairy, meat, honey and fish. The programme is currently underway in Baringo, Taita-Taveta, Narok, Kwale, Laikipia, Kilifi, Samburu, Tana River, Marsabit and Mombasa counties.

Our strategy is built around three pillars:

1. Capacity Building: We train livestock farmers in improved animal husbandry, rangeland management, fodder production, and climate-smart practices. This includes training women and youth to ensure inclusive participation.
2. Access to Inputs and Services: Through strategic partnerships, we support access to veterinary care, quality breeds, and extension services to reduce mortality and increase productivity.
3. Market Linkages and Value Addition: We help producers transition from traditional livestock selling to organized value chains, connecting them to reliable markets, supporting aggregation, and promoting value-added processing such as milk chilling, leather production, and meat grading.

Mifugo Ni Mali Impact

• Working in 20 Arid and semi-arid counties in Kenya
• Trained 194 F on Governance, Business Planning and access to Finance
• Trained 32 Farmer Producer Organizations in Quality Assurance and Value addition.
• 34 Cooperatives have accessed over 1.4 million USD worth of loans
• Trained 1,119 Poultry farmers in partnership with Kenchic Plc and 913 blue economy farmers.
• Piloted livestock identification and traceability system by tagging about 49,000 cattle using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology
• Supported FPOs in value addition which has seen cooperatives’ earnings increase.
• Supported pastoralists to access market for their goats through annual Kimalel goat auction; making sales worth 0.8 million USD

Our Impact So Far

• Over 3,500 livestock farmers trained across Kenya’s ASAL counties.
• Facilitated KES 150 million in access to agribusiness loans and inputs
• Supported formation of farmer cooperatives for collective bargaining
• Enhanced productivity and income across dairy, beef, goat, and poultry value chains