She stands tall among her kind with brown and white spots.

Calm and composed, four-year-old Eliza continues to eat her day’s meal with her badge of honour plastered on her face to tell anyone and everyone that she is the supreme queen!

During judging, the Guernsey breed which weighs almost 400 kg walked with grace and composure.

Having competed in 2023 as a young heifer and placed second in her category, her handlers intensified their efforts to improve her qualities.

Their hard work paid off at this year's Nakuru ASK show, where she scooped the title of Supreme Champion in both the interbreed and under-five-years-in-milk categories.

This mother of one is described as docile and very confident. She currently produces about 21 litres of milk a day, which her handler notes is better than her predecessors' performance.

There's potential for her production to increase to 31 litres in her second or third calving.

Henry Ruto, an AI technician at the Agricultural Development Corporation (ADC) from where Eliza comes from, notes her success having been attributed to good genetics in addition to feeding.

“Eliza has a great genetic makeup and this has largely been attributed to her winning today. Her calving nature also enhanced her traits by increasing her size in addition to feeding her. What stands out most is the high-quality butter content in her breed’s milk compared to other breeds like Ayrshire and Friesian.”

Eliza’s current market price is Sh. 205,000 owing to her quality features including her udder formation, straight backline, and sturdy feet and legs that made her win in her category in addition to her production.

While he may not have a name, he’s hard to pass by. He looks tough as though he’s ready to fight owing to his big girth.

The winning bull at Nakuru ASK show on July 3, 2024.

Photo credit: LELETI JASSOR/MTAA WANGU

Weighing 652 kg, bull number 9f101- whose head is black and body greyish- stands calmly with his number engraved on his upper left thigh. When approached by strangers he gets uneasy and his handler Ali Godana calms him.

Ali explains to Mtaa Wangu that the Boran breed animal which is a four-year-old indigenous bull is very hardy and territorial.

“Boran animal breeds tend to be very territorial despite their calmness. During mating, the bulls tend to be very aggressive and protective at night. They are also unaccustomed to excessive petting and get perturbed when this happens,” he says.

The winning bull at Nakuru ASK show is of the Boran breed.

Photo credit: LELETI JASSOR/MTAA WANGU

Evelyn Akinyi, Research Scientist, KALRO, whose main work is to research how to improve beef production, notes that this is not 9f101’s first rodeo at the show and that last year he came in third as he was very young and smaller than his competitors.

This year 9f101 reigns as a Champion Bull in the show owing to his body conformation, sheath, hump, length, leg and hoof structure, backline, and weight.

“Having taken third place last year, we went back to the drawing board and started feeding the animal because we saw it had the potential to grow. While it isn’t a huge consumer, its feed conversion rate is so high and we expect that when we feed him, he gains a kilogram a day,” she says.

While he has no children of his own, he is a great sire according to his handlers, and is on sale for Sh. 250,000.

On the other hand, Mandela with tag number 22175, stands sturdy with a long goatee, a brown head, and a white nose bridge with horns slanted back.

The goat that was crowned winner at the Nakuru ASK show on July 3, 2024.

Photo credit: LELETI JASSOR/MTAA WANGU

The Boer breed of South African descent emerged as the champion goat in his category, running unopposed.

While he is not shy, he doesn't see the need to assert dominance by fighting. However, he gets quite uneasy when he has visitors.

Weighing 170kg at just one year and six months old, Mandela boasts of having sired more than 100 kids.

He is low maintenance and when home, grazes like the rest of the goats he’s with.

Given his prowess as a breeder, he is now being used as a sire, with his offspring selling for at least Sh. 50,000 each.

Described as still a 'kijana barubaru', Mandela is expected to continue in this role until he's five years old. At that point, he will likely be transitioned to a meat-producing goat, having fulfilled his breeding services.

The South African Boer is known as a hardy, productive, and adaptable meat goat breed that grows rapidly with minimal input costs.

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Author Spotlight

Leleti Jassor