The price of goats in Mandera County collapsed from approximately KSh 10,000 to as low as KSh 1,000—and in some markets to KSh 500—due to a catastrophic
Traders at the Rhamu Livestock Market and other areas reported a 90% drop in value virtually overnight as emaciated animals flooded the market.The collapse in livestock prices coincided with skyrocketing food prices; herders now have to sell an entire goat just to purchase 2kg of maize flour.
Over 25,000 livestock have died in Mandera alone since the start of 2026, with the most severe impact in Lafey, Banisa, and Mandera North.
The Kenya Red Cross warned that over 327,000 people in the county are on the brink of starvation as their primary source of livelihood and milk disappears.
Mandera has seen no rain since May 2025, leading to a full-blown water emergency where water trucking has become the only survival mechanism.
