A Strategic Meeting to Fast-Track Isinya Leather Centre, Set to Boost Livestock Value Chain in ASALs
The Principal Secretary for the State Department for ASALs and Regional Development, Mr. Kello Harsama, CBS, chaired a high-level stakeholder meeting to accelerate the operationalization of the Isinya Leather Aggregation Centre — a landmark project aimed at transforming the livestock sector and unlocking new economic opportunities for communities in Kajiado and the wider arid and semi-arid regions.
The facility, is a flagship initiative aligned with the government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA). Once operational, the centre will play a critical role in promoting rural industrialisation, enhancing value addition, and creating sustainable jobs, particularly for pastoralist communities that depend heavily on livestock.
The Isinya Leather Centre is designed to provide end-to-end leather processing infrastructure — from aggregation, preliminary treatment, grading, and preservation to value addition and market facilitation. The facility will also host training and capacity-building programs to equip local producers and processors with the skills needed to meet industry standards and tap into both local and export markets.
PS Kello Harsama described the centre as a game-changer for the ASALs economy. Highlighting it is more than a processing plant — it is a bold step towards empowering livestock keepers, enhancing incomes, and building industrial value chains right at the grassroots .Through BETA, we are intentionally investing in community-led development and creating long-term transformation in areas that have historically been left behind.
The operationalisation of the centre is expected to address long-standing challenges such as low earnings from raw hides and skins, lack of access to quality processing facilities, and limited participation of pastoralists in value-added markets. It will also support the reduction of post-slaughter losses and strengthen environmental management through proper waste handling systems.
Once fully functional, the facility is projected to serve hundreds of livestock producers across Kajiado and neighboring counties, providing a central hub for leather aggregation that reduces transport costs and enhances quality control. By cutting out middlemen and inefficiencies in the market chain, the centre aims to ensure higher returns for producers while also attracting investment into leather-based manufacturing.
In addition, the project aligns with the government’s commitment to green industrialisation and environmental sustainability. The facility will incorporate eco-friendly practices in waste treatment, water recycling, and energy use, making it a model for responsible industrial growth in Kenya’s ASAL regions. Plans are also underway to link the project with local tree-planting and climate resilience initiatives.
Also present at the meeting were the Managing Director of ENSDA, Mr. Nicholas Oloitiptip, Kajiado East MP Hon. Kakuta Maimai, Rev. Naftaly Lemooke, Director for Regional Development Ms. Wanjiku Manyatta, and other key stakeholders from the public and private sectors.
By Ian Ramisi