Parliament has backed a proposed law seeking to introduce tougher penalties and modern tracking systems to curb the growing wave of livestock and produce theft, with lawmakers warning the crime is now organised and spreading across counties.
Debate on the Prevention of Livestock and Produce Theft Bill, 2023, drew strong support from MPs who said the legislation is needed to tighten enforcement, improve animal identification, and regulate livestock movement.
The Bill also aims to strengthen coordination between national and county governments in tackling a vice that many said is crippling rural livelihoods.
Lawmakers from pastoralist and highland farming regions described a worrying shift, saying livestock theft has grown from isolated incidents into a coordinated network involving cartels, rogue traders, and gaps in enforcement systems.
Matungulu MP Stephen Mule said the impact is severe for small-scale farmers who rely entirely on livestock for survival. He cited a case in his constituency where a resident lost all his animals in a night attack.
“This man had no other source of income. When his livestock was taken, he was left with nothing,” he said, warning that such incidents were demoralising rural farmers who depend entirely on livestock for survival, school fees and household needs.
He said the attacks are becoming more targeted and organised.
“This guy is not employed and depended on his livestock. When those cows were taken, he was left with nothing.”
Mule called for the use of technology to track stolen animals, proposing electronic tagging systems.
“If KWS can tag lions and elephants, why can’t we electronically tag cows?” he posed.
“A helpless farmer could have traced stolen livestock electronically, and the police would know exactly where they are.”
He also argued for stiffer punishment, saying existing fines do not deter offenders.
“A fine of Sh100,000 is nothing to someone who has stolen 100 cows,” he said.
“We must enhance penalties and ensure long jail terms actually deter crime.”
Laikipia East MP Mwangi Kiunjuri said the vice has evolved into a structured illegal trade, raising concern over how stolen livestock enters formal markets.
“Livestock theft is more of a trade than petty thievery,” Kiunjuri said. “Sometimes 1,000 cows disappear and are never recovered. Where do they go?”
He questioned the supply of meat in some urban outlets.
“You wonder how a joint is opened today and they are permanently supplied, yet they never go to slaughterhouses. Where do they get their supplies?”
Kiunjuri urged authorities to focus on dismantling networks behind the crime rather than targeting only low-level offenders.
Marsabit Woman Representative Naomi Waqo said pastoral communities continue to suffer repeated raids that leave families without any source of income.
“Just reflect on the life of a simple livestock farmer who has 20 or 50 cows. That is all they have,” she said. “When thieves come and take them, it is like a death sentence.”
She called for harsher punishment, including life sentences for offenders.
“These people destroy families and livelihoods. They should face life imprisonment so they know the consequences of their actions,” she said.
“In Marsabit, livestock is everything. When animals are stolen, entire families collapse economically,” she said.
South Imenti MP Shadrack Mwiti supported the Bill and called for improved surveillance, better coordination among security agencies, and stronger community policing to help curb the vice.