Land, farming and livestock
The cattle trade from southern Somalia to Kenya
Since 1991, when fighting closed the old export routes through Kismayo and Mogadishu, cattle from southern Somalia have been walked across the border to Garissa in Kenya. Garissa grew into one of the biggest livestock markets in East Africa, and an estimated 60 to 70 percent of the cattle sold there come from Somalia. Traders buy at about USD 200 a head in Somalia, sell for about USD 400 in Garissa and USD 500 in Nairobi.
Why the trade moved
When the central state collapsed on 21 January 1991 and fighting blocked the old routes to Kismayo and Mogadishu, livestock traders in southern Somalia took their business across the border to Kenya (Ng'asike, Stepputat and Njoka, Pastoralism, 2020). Kenya had opened its borders under reforms in the late 1980s and has a shortage of meat, so Somali cattle found buyers (same source).
Garissa market
Garissa, in north-eastern Kenya, hosts what the study calls the biggest livestock market in East and Central Africa. The market has moved three times to cope with the crowds; its latest move, to Waberi, was agreed between the local Somali Council of Elders and the county government. The elders sit on Garissa's Livestock Marketing Association, which runs the market and settles disputes (Ng'asike and others, 2020).
- Cattle are sold on Wednesdays only; sheep and goats every day.
- Cattle make up 90 percent of animals traded, sheep and goats 7 percent, donkeys 2 percent and camels less than 1 percent.
- An estimated 60 to 70 percent of the cattle come from Somalia, mostly large brown-red cattle that resist drought and weigh 280 to 350 kg live (grade II).
All from Ng'asike and others, 2020.
Routes and costs
Small traders and brokers buy from "bush markets" and from primary markets such as Afmadow in Jubaland, where cattle gather in hundreds. Hired trekkers then walk them to Garissa. From Boni in the far south, old stock routes run west through Hulugho to Garissa. About 20 percent of Somali livestock entering Kenya comes by truck; the rest is walked (Ng'asike and others, 2020).
- Prices: about USD 200 a head in Somalia, about USD 400 in Garissa, about USD 500 in Nairobi. Grade II cattle sell for USD 500 to 550 in Nairobi.
- Taxes on the way: the study reports informal taxes and harassment from clan militias, Al-Shabaab and Jubaland authorities. Al-Shabaab claims one head of cattle from every 40 to 45, sometimes collected on the way back.
- Formal tax: less than 30 percent of cattle are formally taxed at the border, according to the Kenya Livestock Marketing Council; Garissa County charges a cess of about USD 36 a truck.
- Credit: about 70 percent of deals in Nairobi are made on informal credit, and defaulters are traced through clan networks.
All from Ng'asike and others, 2020.
How it has changed
In the early 2000s, 75 percent of the cattle leaving Garissa went to Nairobi. By 2018 that share had fallen to 30 to 40 percent, because since 2010 wealthier Somali traders have bought or leased ranches near the Kenyan coast to fatten cattle for sale at home or for export through Mombasa (Ng'asike and others, 2020, citing Little 2005).
Related pages
Sources
- Ng'asike, Stepputat and Njoka, Pastoralism, 2020 · link.springer.com
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Where this matters
Same era
- Australia18,401 people of Somali ancestry and 8,101 born in Somalia lived in Australia at the 2021 Census, more than half in Victoria. History, work, issues.
- Birmingham (Somali diaspora)About 17,000 to 21,600 Somalis live in Birmingham (Census 2021), mostly in Nechells, Newtown, Small Heath and Alum Rock. History, work, health and ties home.
- Bristol (Somali diaspora)9,167 people in Bristol identified as Somali or Somalilander in Census 2021, the city's largest minority group. Where they live, work, housing, leaders and ties home.
- Calgary, Alberta, Canada2,845 people of Somali origin lived in Calgary at the 2021 Census, plus 890 in Brooks. How they came, who serves them and what they face.
- Denmark (Somali diaspora)21,885 people of Somali origin lived in Denmark in 2026, half born there. Numbers, history, work, permit reviews, and ties home.
- DjiboutiAbout 13,900 refugees from Somalia live in Djibouti (Aug 2026): numbers since 1990, Ali Addeh, Holl-Holl, the 2017 refugee law, Arta 2000 and 2025 returns.
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- How many livestock does Somalia have?Somalia's livestock in numbers: herd size by species, what the animals produce, how many die each year, exports, and why sources disagree.
- Camels in Somalia: the world's largest herdCamels in Somalia in facts: herd size, share of the world's camels, camel milk, exports to the Gulf, the 2016 to 2018 export fall at Berbera, and the first camel milk yoghurt factory.
- Blackheaded Somali sheep: the breed behind the livestock tradeThe Blackheaded Somali sheep: what it looks like, where it is kept, why it suits dry land, its role in exports through Berbera and Bosaso, and the breeds descended from it.
- Cattle in Somalia: Boran and the Somali breedsCattle in Somalia: numbers, where they are kept, the Boran breed and the Somali Boran, the large red cattle traded to Kenya, cattle exports and milk.
- The Somali goat: breed, milk and tradeThe Somali goat in facts: what it looks like, where it is kept, milk yield in drought, meat exports with sheep, and what DAD-IS records about the breed.