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Nairobi lawyer imports South African red goat to breed Kenyan super goats 

Red Kalahari
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A lawyer who retired his robes for gumboots and overalls is helping herders navigate the uncharted waters of goat importation bringing in Red Kalahari goats from South Africa which gain weight at double the pace of local Galla and Small East African goats.

Bred by South African herders in the 1970s and named after the arid Kalahari desert in Southern Africa because of their hardiness, the children of mating the large all-red meat goat with local goats weigh up to 60 kilograms in eight to nine months when goats are usually slaughtered in Kenya. By contrast, the gala, Kenya’s favourite goat, barely touches 30 kilograms in the same time.

“They borrow the best from each other; the hardiness and adaptability of local goats and the Red’s ability to quickly turn most of their feed into weight,” explained  Rolph Lemayan.

Five years ago, the owner of Goat Master breeding farm in Narok which houses over 200 goats had to first import the animals to Uganda before picking them up at Malaba because of the impossible red tape breeders and herders had to navigate when bringing livestock into Kenya.

Today he orders for them through his South African contacts online and picks them up from JKIA. 

“Goats are usually imported in groups to lessen their transport costs. You will need to have two licenses. An import license issued by the airport’s veterinary departments and an export license from the South African side,” he informed.

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The Kenyan license outlines which diseases the goats should be vaccinated and quarantined for.  The licence from the country of origin, which is usually South Africa has a 

and a permit from both private and national veterinary associations showing that the animal was vaccinated and quarantined for 30-90 days and checked for any diseases before it lands in Kenya.

“A good animal breeder will also ensure the seller sends them a sperm test to avoid buying dud bucks that are poor breeders together with a blood test to check that the goat is disease-free. If you buy a doe, you should have a pregnancy test confirming that the animal is indeed pregnant,” Lemayan outlined.

The goats are usually flown via Singapore Airlines and delivered to the animal handling facility at the airport. Here the government vet cross-checks the import and export licences and checks that the goat you brought has no diseases and is not stressed. They also check that it is fit for breeding by examining the scrotal size of bucks for example.

From here you’ll need clearance forms from KEBS, KRA, and animal clearing agent at the airport before the JKIA vet office hands you a movement permit which costs Sh1,000 and allows you to transport the animals to your farm.

Purebreed Red Kalaharis are graded as elites, studs, or commercial

According to Kilifi Creek Farm in Cullinan, South Africa which is famed for breeding and exporting studbook registered championship Red Kalahari goats throughout Africa, commercial or flock refers to inspected goats that are 10 months or older and approved by the South Africa Breeders Association. Stud goats are pure-breed male or female goats that are selected for having characteristics such as quick growth, good meat quality, and disease resistance that goat keepers want. They also have to meet the breeders’ association quality standard for a Red Kalahari stud in South Africa.

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Kilifi Creek Farm which has delivered thousands of Kalaharis to Kenyan livestock keepers informed that to get one of the goats delivered to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport costs between Sh111,112 for six to eight-month-old bucks to  Sh180,880 for 11-14-month-old stud bucks and pregnant stud does. An elite buck, which refers to a stud male that has top 15 per cent genetics in the herd, goes for Sh258,400.

Goats can only be graded once they are at least 10 months old. If they are younger, they are inspected to ensure they meet the standards expected by the South Africa Breeders Association. 

Goat Master Kenya: 0716843979

Kilifi Creek Farm: 0721423924/ 0721648763

Photo Courtesy: Kilifi Creek


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