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Who we are

Committed To Providing The Best

The Kenya Camel Association (KCA), is a membership association, founded in 1995 in response to popular demand from camel keepers arising from poor service delivery by both government and other stakeholders. It is registered in 1997 by the Government of Kenya as non-profit association. KCA’s main objective is to enhance development of the camel sub-sector through enhanced service delivery across the camel value chain, including value addition, knowledge management and sharing, lobby and advocacy.

Its membership comprises of camel keeping communities across the 14 (Mandera, Wajir, Garissa, Tana River, Marsabit, Isiolo, Samburu, Laikipia, Baringo, Elgeyo Marakwet, West Pokot, Turkana, Narok and Kajiado) camel keeping counties in Kenya, researchers, academicians and development workers.Since its inception KCA has been working in arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs) where livestock pastoralists constantly face serious livelihood challenges exacerbated by climatic change, high poverty, illiteracy, disease outbreaks and inter-community conflicts.

These challenges have great impact on the wellbeing of women children and youth, mainly due to discordant efforts among stakeholders and erroneous prioritization of the agriculture development needs, both at the county and at the national level.

Our Impacts

Committed To Providing The Best

OUR MISSION

To enhance development of camel sub sector through knowledge management, advocacy; improved productivity, value addition and livelihoods of the pastoralists and other camel actors.

OUR VISION

To be a leader in sustainable camel development for wealth creation

We stand with the CAMEL

KCA has enormous experience in the lobbying of recognition of camels in development prioritization (Livestock Sessional paper 2008), through enactment of appropriate policy and legislation, support to camel related trade through formation of groups and co-operatives to create a business enabling environment for the sector. It has extensive experiences in the promotion of food security and livelihood, peace building and group formation.

The association has carried trainings on camel health and husbandry, collaborated with partners to conduct studies (KEMRI) on the benefits of camel milk in treatment of diabetic, and partnered with ILRI, KALRO under ALLPRO/ADB project to carry out studies on camel milk and meat. Camel milk marketing supported by UN/FAO- 2010 – targeting ten urban centers in Kenya where 3000 tasters targeted and achieved one year program, and training on hygienic production of camel milk. It has been involved in the development and designing of the REGAL-AG/USAID funded (2013) and Regional Pastoral Livelihood and Resilience Project/World Bank funded project (2013/2014).

The association in collaboration with University of Nairobi carried a study to establish the cause of sudden death in camels in northern Kenya supported by the Regional Pastoral Livelihood Resilience Project/ World Bank 2016/2018.

KCA has supported the first Camel Milk Mini Dairy in Garissa through the support of ALLPRO/ADB and supporting the most vulnerable members of the society through restocking with camels in Samburu, Keiyo, Isiolo, Marsabit, Kitui, Kajiado, Narok, Baringo, West Pokot and Turkana. Globally, camel milk is emerging as a popular health product and KCA is working to ensure the positioning of the Camel milk value chain to take advantage of this promise.

In recent months KCA is spearheading the formulation of Kenya Camel Development Policy in close collaboration with State Department of Livestock. The final draft is already at Cabinet discussion.

Over the years, KCA has closely collaborated with a number of key stakeholders, including the Ministry of Livestock Development, research institutions (KALRO, ILRI), Botswana Tourism Board(BTB) and non-governmental organizations (GTZ, now GIZ, Business Advocacy fund (BAF), UN/FAO Kenya, CARE-Kenya) involved to achieve its objectives. It is collaborating with local Universities (Nairobi and Egerton) and ETH University, through Swiss Tropical Institute.

The Association has in the last five years been classified by ISOCARD as a successful camel management model, and has been used to support formation of other associations in Tanzania, Ethiopia, Sudan and Pakistan, providing avenues for sharing information, opportunities and challenges on the camels’ research and development.