Slaughterhouse saves Narok farmers from long trek to Nairobi

Most juicy chunks of meat enjoyed at Nairobi dinner tables comes from Narok County, according to 82-year-old Manywele Korkoren, a renowned livestock business man from Mulot, Narok South.

The octogenarian says that livestock trade between Narok farmers and the city’s traders has been going on since colonial times and is not about to stop.

“Nothing can be compared to roasted, steamed or even boiled meat of an animal left to feed on herbs, lick the salty earth and drink from a Narok river.
‘‘The praises heaped on our exceptional beef is due to our habitat,” he said. 

Cattle leave cowsheds after sunrise, he says, and are left to wander in the vast land, naturally selecting their favourite feeds.

They visit natural sources of water to quench their thirst before going back to their enclosures at sunset.

“At the end of it their meat gets salty and really tasty. Such are the delicacies we feed Nairobi people on,” says the business man.

Until recently, Narok farmers walked their livestock over the 300 odd kilometres to Nairobi slaughterhouses.

They would then slaughter their livestock and supply the meat to traders at Ngara, Village Market and other city suburbs before heading back for more cattle in the villages.

“Maasai community members were mostly tasked with driving the animals as they were accustomed to travelling long distances given their nomadic way of life,” says Mr Korkoren.

He recalls that it was cumbersome and tiring for those involved in the trade.

After an exhausting journey and a hectic time through the Nairobi traffic, the cattle drivers required a place to graze the animals overnight before taking them to slaughterhouses at dawn. At times the animals would get lost while herders were asleep.

Their experience inspired Mr Korkoren to put up Tuiyobei Slaughterhouse in Mulot area a year ago.

“After seeing the challenges that our people went through the idea of a slaughterhouse came to me. I started putting up one three years ago and its benefits to local people are unparalleled,” says Mr Korkoren.

However, it was not an easy venture. Other than the hurdle of raising money for the project, it had to conform to government standards.

Mr Korkoren had to dismantle the structure several times before government inspectors accepted it. This drained his finances.

“I kept rebuilding it for two years. They (inspectors) said that a special machine had to be used to compress the floor concrete so that the cows’ hooves and horns could not wear it out. It would also make cleaning easier,” he says.

When asked how much he used to put up the structure Mr Korkoren retorts: “I don’t know. I reached a stage where I told myself that if I counted my losses I would be discouraged from completing the project. So I worked with blind budgets. It was a big struggle.”

He sold some of his livestock and bought building materials in a bid to complete the construction. At some point he got bankrupt, but that did not stop him from accomplishing his mission.

Once the slaughterhouse was ready, Mr Korkoren faced yet another problem; getting people to work for him.

“I could not get anyone willing to slaughter animals. I had to outsource manpower,” he said.

The one-year-old slaughterhouse has picked up well and now employs 36 people. Mr Stephen Kirui, the manager, said that they rely on traders to bring in animals for slaughter. They butcher an average of 60 animals per day.

“Customers part with Sh650 per cow which caters for both our services and inspection fee of Sh100 that is paid to the public health office” he says. The cows are bought in from Kapkwen, Mulot, Chebunyo, Sogoo and Kapkatet.

The highest number of animals slaughtered in one day was 82, while the least was 15.

Mr Korkoren is not involved in the day to day running of the slaughterhouse. He is satisfied with charging service fee which leaves him with an average of Sh2,000 daily after paying workers.

“I expect the business to stabilise by the end of this year so that I can get a steady flow of money,” he says.

He says that traders are happy with the abattoir since they can hire a pick-up to ferry meat of up to 20 animals.

Previously, the traders needed a lorry to transport the same number of live animals for slaughter in Nairobi.

“The traders are now having an easy time. Their meat does not graze, neither does it require a shepherd to look after it,” Mr Korkoren jokes.

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