The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) nominated MP David Ole Sankok, despite being a controversial politician, wears many hats.
When he is not busy crisscrossing the corridors of parliament, he spends time honing his other passion -cattle keeping.
His 500-acre cattle farm is located in his home in Melili Ward, Narok County. He is among the few successful farmers who have embraced new farming techniques to counter the effects of drought in the region.
Inside the farm, Sankok rears around 200 Zebu, Borana, and Sahiwal beef cattle. He also owns several Friesian and Ayrshire cows for milk production.
A Maasai Heritage’s Influence
Being a Maasai, a community that holds cattle in great reverence, it was inevitable that Sankok would grow to become a cattle breeder.
“The first food I tasted as a child was cow fat, which I ate for two years before I was weaned to diluted cow milk as set by the Maasai culture,” said the MP in an interview.
Before he went to school, he was a cattle herder until he was 8 years old. His ambition as a young man was to become a moran, raid other communities for cattle, and increase his community’s herds.
His dreams were dashed when he was disabled at age 12 through a doctor’s injection. However, he rekindled them as an adult on his 500-acre ranch.
Accompanied by his wife, herding comes naturally to him as he accompanies his healthy cows to graze.
Modern methods
Unlike most members of his surrounding community, Sankok, who is also a surgeon, has embraced modern methods of cow rearing. These include paddocking and digging of dams to avoid migrating in search of water during dry seasons.
His herd is composed mainly of the Sahiwal breed, which is very good in meat production and can sell for as high as sh 150 000. The cheapest bull in his herd goes for sh 80 000.
His strategy is simple: Buy cattle at throwaway prices during the dry season, fatten them for three months, then sell them. Often, he makes treble profits.
The MP prefers the free-range style of grazing rather than Zero grazing as the costs of production are low.
“If I do zero grazing, I will have to hire tractors to harvest and carry the hay for storage, and that is expensive. There is also a lot of wastage during harvesting,” he says.
According to him, minimizing production costs means greater profits.
Despite the scorching sun, grass at the ranch is knee-high, awaiting grazing. Proper paddocking ensures that the ranch has enough grass that can sustain the cattle for a year, even if rains fail.
Paddocking also helps in controlling wild animals, especially the wildebeests that abound in the area. These compete for pasture and water with the livestock.
“Wild animals can also spread diseases to livestock. For instance, when wildebeest calves shed fur on the grass and cattle graze on it, they automatically die,” the MP says.
He has solved the problem of water by digging dams at a cost of around sh 100 000 per dam.
The closest river is the Ewaso Nyiro, which is located 15 kilometers from the ranch and is often dry for the greater part of the year.
Ole Sankok’s plea is for people to plant trees and protect water catchment areas.
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