Pastoralists enter safety zone with insurance cover

Failure to put in place mechanisms for compensating pastoralists in case of livstock losses is partly to blame for North Eastern province's high poverty index.

…Pastoralists will be compensated for loss of their animals from January after a livestock insurance product is launched in Kenya.

However, details of the exact amount of premium to be paid will depend on the insurance company that have agreed to partner with the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), the institution that developed the product.

ILRI will study satellite images on weather changes in North Eastern Province. In cases of severe drought or flooding that results in death livestock, farmers will be compensated.

“We have found that interest from households (in Marsabit where studies have been going on) was quite significant,” said Mr Mude.

Studies show that more than three million pastoralist households are regularly hit by severe drought. ILRI data shows that in the past 100 years, northern Kenya recorded 28 major droughts, four of which occurred in the last ten years.

“For livelihoods that rely solely or partly on livestock, the resulting high livestock mortality rate has devastating effects, rendering these pastoralists among the most vulnerable populations in Kenya,” said ILRI in the report.