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All is set for this year’s Baringo Kimalel Cultural Fair and Goat Auction with top dignitaries, among them President William Ruto, expected to attend this week.

The annual fete commences today and will culminate in the goat auction on Thursday which will see the sale of more than 2,000 goats in less than one hour.

 Baringo governor Benjamin Cheboi yesterday confirmed that the cultural fair will return after taking a two-year break due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

 “We have a lot of fun activities lined up. On the 20th we will have the Kaldich traditional boat racing at the scenic Lake Baringo and cultural performances by the Lake Baringo community. On December 21 there will be a cultural festival and midnight extravaganza at Kimalel Grounds on the eve of the goat auction,” Cheboi told People Daily in an interview.

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“Come and enjoy the warm hospitality of the great people of Baringo. Come treat yourself and your loving family to a memorable holiday. Come experience a holiday with a difference,” added Cheboi.

 Cheboi said the county has positioned itself to reap fully from the livestock sector which is the economic mainstay of the area with the county being rated second in the country after Turkana county with an estimated two million goats and one million cows.

 “We are pleased to announce that the auction which serves as a platform to highlight Baringo county’s rich cultural heritage, promote inter-community harmony and showcase her tourism attractions is back with a bang,” said Cheboi.

 He said the devolved unit is committed to ensuring that the residents benefit fully from the sector.

 “Plans are at an advanced stage for us to do value addition by setting up slaughter slabs in all the six sub-counties where we will be importing our slaughtered livestock to other counties which will also create employment for our people as we also raise revenue,” Cheboi told People Daily.

 He said that the county government will help farmers upgrade their animals through Artificial Insemination (AI) at affordable rates.

 “We are in the process of ensuring that each of the 30 wards in the county has a veterinary and extension officer to offer technical advice to our farmers. A semen bank will also be set up in each of the six sub-counties,” said Cheboi.

 Cheboi said the County Assembly is in the process of legislating laws for all livestock to be sold inside livestock markets to seal loopholes for rampant cases of rustling in the area and discourage unscrupulous middlemen who are exploiting livestock farmers.

 “Those who flout the rule will be liable to penalties including hefty fines. The county is currently losing millions of shillings as livestock is ferried all the way to Nairobi. We are also liaising with companies dealing in manufacturing livestock feeds on pasture improvement. This will go a long way in improving livestock health and meat quality as the animals currently walk long distances in search of water and pasture,” said Cheboi.

 The county government has already set aside more than Sh200 million for the revival of livestock markets in the region.

 The re-opening of the auction saw more than Sh9.8 million raised in 2014 alone following the sale of 1,159 goats with the proceeds being distributed equally among all pastoralists in all the 30 wards in the county who brought their goats for sale.

 The Kimalel Goat Auction was started in 1986 as the brainchild of the late retired President Daniel Arap Moi and was aimed at improving the living standards of Baringo County residents but the market went under in 2002 after the former president relinquished power.

 By the time it collapsed in the 1990s, the project had seen more than Sh50 million raised from the sale of about 31,863 goats, 2,518 sheep and 180 cows.