Kenya is taking a bold step toward modernizing its pastoral and agricultural sectors by assigning digital identities to cows, goats, and sheep across the country. The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development is accelerating the nationwide rollout of the Animal Identification and Traceability System (ANITRAC). The digital framework assigns every animal a unique ID and creates a lifelong, verified digital record. Under the new system, field tags and microchips link directly to a central digital platform accessible by authorized state authorities, veterinarians, abattoirs, livestock traders, and key stakeholders across the value chain. ANITRAC tracks critical data, including an animal’s place of origin, ownership history, health status, vaccination timeline, and physical movements. Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe highlighted the initiative’s potential to transform national herd management and security. “Going forward, every Kenyan animal should have an identity and a traceable history. This will help us improve livestock management, strengthen disease surveillance, enhance food safety and open up better markets for our livestock producers,” Kagwe said. Key Pillars of the ANITRAC Rollout Curtailing Cattle Rustling and Market Fraud A primary driver behind ANITRAC is the surge in livestock theft and violent cattle rustling, which cause de...
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