The Livestock Markets of Kerio Valley

 By William Kiptoo

In the Kerio Valley, market livestock like cattle and goats are a big deal. Along the Beretwo-Tot-Chesegon Road, there are market centers where goats are sold. Traders gather the goats and take them to bigger markets or across the Kerio River into Baringo. Cattle from areas like Koitilial, Arror, and Chesogoch are sold at the Barwessa market by the people who raise them or sometimes by traders.
Buyers from Baringo, the fluorspar mines in Kimwarer, and Eldoret visit markets in the valley area south of the Beretwo - Kabarnet road. Resale markets for valley cattle can be found in places like Sergoit, Cheptongei, and KaptaIamwa. Chepkorio is a big resale market in the southern division, while Kapcherop and Chebororwa are important resale markets in Kapcherop Division. Kondabilet is the top resale market for small stock.
Buyers from outside the county come to these markets to purchase livestock, which are then moved on foot to their destinations. Producers from the Kerio Valley take about two days to reach Sergoit market, where they sell directly to buyers from Eldoret. Around 1000 cattle are brought to Sergoit every market day, with about 700 being sold between 10.00 am and 4.00 pm. Marketing activities take place here once a month.
Cattle bought from Kapcherop are often taken to Matunda market in Kakamega, a two-day journey. Eldoret and Kitale are major destinations for trade cattle from the central region of the county, with livestock being moved on foot along the main roads.
Chepkorio and Kamwosor markets supply cattle to Nairobi and Gilgil, with the latter being specific to military institutions at Gilgil. Traders use trucks to transport live cattle to Nairobi, where they are sold live, while cattle sold to Gilgil are slaughtered and transported as meat. The railway is also used to transport cattle from the region, with Kaptagat being a loading point and Nakuru and Dagoretti being major destinations.


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