Livestock Principal Secretary Jonathan Mueke has revealed the government’s plan to increase milk production in the country.
In a statement on Tuesday, Mueke relayed that the state department for livestock was exploring new technology to increase the odds of dairy cows delivering heifers by 90 per cent.
He made the announcement following a meeting with officials from ABS Global, an American breeding company discussing a potential partnership that will enable Kenyan farmers to access sexed semen at an affordable price.
“In an effort to continue increasing milk production nationally, the State Department for Livestock is exploring advanced semen sexing technology, which, when used, will ensure dairy cows have a 90%+ probability of giving birth to a heifer, thus ensuring continuous growth of the dairy herd,” PS Mueke stated.
A photo of Livestock Principal Secretary (left) during a meeting with ABS Global officials on Tuesday, January 28, 2025.
Photo
Jonathan Mueke
“This morning, I met with a team from ABS Global, a world leader in bovine genetics, to explore a partnership that will enable us to deliver sexed semen to our dairy farmers at a highly subsidized cost.”
Sexed semen in cattle is a type of technology where semen produced by a bull is processed in a lab to remove as many Y chromosomes as possible. At ABS Global, the process is carried out using a laser.
As Y chromosomes are the ones that produce male species, their removal increases the chances of a cow conceiving a heifer calf instead of a bull calf.
The type of chromosomes in the semen is identified in the laboratory by their size or through DNA testing.
“When processing semen, the ‘X’ and ‘Y’ chromosomes are separated by determining their size or DNA content,” an explainer on the ABS website states.
“A laser is used to reduce the percentage of ‘Y’ chromosomes present in the batch of semen. It is possible that some male chromosomes will remain, but the chances will be much slimmer after being processed.”
Since it is a lab process, the fertility of the final semen sample is in question but reportedly the conception rate is also significantly high at 90 per cent.
For the most favourable results, however, farmers are advised to breed their highest genetic merit cows and heifers.
President William Ruto and a host of other leaders looking at the Meru Maziwa Millers plan that has a processing capacity of 12,000 tonnes a month.
William Ruto