USAid’s investment boosts incomes by 43pc, creates jobs

The United States Agency for International Development (USAid) has invested $37 million (Sh4.8 billion) in Kenya’s northern counties, significantly boosting household incomes.

Through stimulus grants to small- and medium-sized businesses, 69 per cent of which are women-owned, 5,497 businesses reported a 43 per cent increase in household incomes.

Additionally, these enterprises have created 1,200 direct and indirect jobs, improving food and market access for over 100,000 families, the organisation said.Andrew McCown, US Government Feed the Future Country Coordinator at USAid Kenya/East Africa highlighted the success of USAID’s partnership with Kenya through its Livestock Market Systems (LMS) activity and USAID Kuza initiative, which support smallholder farmers to foster economic resilience.

Livestock market

McCown who was speaking recently a meat expo, designed to propel Kenya’s livestock market towards economic prosperity said that their concerted efforts with the government aim at wealth creation through strategic investments and value addition in the meat sector.

“As we participate in the Meat Expo, we are committed to partner with the Government of Kenya to create jobs, increase access to services, and incomes for livestock producers in Kenya aimed at wealth creation through value addition such as in the meat sector,” he said.

The event themed “Revolutionising the Meat Industry for Bottom-Up Economic Transformation” was organised in partnership with the State Department of Livestock.

The Meat Expo event, co-organised with Kenya’s State Department of Livestock, aims to enhance the meat sector’s value addition for economic prosperity.

The USAid Kuza programme has dedicated $1.9 million (Sh265 million) to bolster the livestock market, with government projections indicating a 10 per cent growth in Kenya’s meat market by 2028.

Joe Sanders, the Chief of Party, USAID LMS, noted that over the past seven years, USAid LMS has boosted Northern Kenya’s resilience by enhancing market access for pastoralists and traders through targeted interventions and strategic partnerships. 

At the expo, USAid LMS led dialogues on public-private co-investments in the livestock value chain, the importance of co-operatives, strategies for drought and flood mitigation, and fostering inclusive livestock market systems.

USAid also plans to assist small- and medium-sized enterprises in highlighting progress within the meat value chain and to reflect on successes and insights gained throughout their work in Northern Kenya over the past seven years.