MOROTO – The Karamojong and Turkana cattle keepers have appealed the governments of Uganda and Kenya to consider establishing a joint regional beef factory.
They said this would help them to add value addition to their livestock and also improve on their daily living welfare.
Mr. Timothy Maruk one of the Karamojong pastoralists said establishing a regional beef factory will give an opportunity for the Karamojong and their neighbors the Turkana to benefit from east African regional markets.
The two neighboring pastoralists’ communities made the demand on Monday 30, 2019, during the cross border peace evaluation meeting between the Karamojong and Turkana held in Lokiriama in Kenya.
Moses Lokuruka a Turkana elder from Loima District in Kenya says establishing regional beef factory would also work as a peace monument between the two pastoralists community.
“We have decided to stop killing each other and we are very excited by the current peace that has united us the Turkana and the Karamojong so we are now demanding for services from both two governments,” he said.
Mr. Joseph Imana another Turkana pastoralist also said the two governments should also establish other regional institution that will serve the interest of the pastoralist’s especially veterinary school and weather focus.
“What we need as pastoralists is a regional beef factory so that we can also export our beef to other countries and a veterinary school for our children to study animal’s medicines,” he said.
While campaigning in 2016, President Museveni promised to set up beef and cement factories in Karamoja and it’s yet to be realized.
Previously the two pastoralist communities the Turkana and Karamojong were not seeing one another over cattle. However, they are now good friend who are grazing together.
They are more than 70,000 Turkana pastoralists who fled their region with about 200,000 heads of cattle, donkeys, camels, and goats after drought hit their region drying up grass and water in their region.
The pastoralists are grazing together with the Karamojong in the areas of Moroto, Kotido and Kaabong districts.
