Sikukuu Maclanhan — transcript

Every Other Commodity Has an Exchange. African Livestock Didn't. Until Now | Sikukuu Maclanhan Ep 56

This transcript is generated automatically by YouTube and has not been checked by a person. It misspells names and mishears words, particularly around Kenyan English and company names, so read it as a guide to the conversation rather than a quotable record. Each timestamp opens the video at that moment.

0:05 Greetings ladies and gentlemen and welcome to episode 56 of the African do podcast. Today we are very privileged [clears throat] to have with us a serial entrepreneur siku mlan sikuku. Welcome to the African do podcast.
Thank you very much Leonard. I think before we get into podcasting, let's just get the name out of the way because [laughter] uh first you're called Siku and then you follow that up with a very Scottish name.
Yes.
Mlan.
Mlan. Yes.
So maybe you can tell us a bit about yourself in opening and start with the name.
Ah thanks Leonard.
Yeah.
Um my name is Yiku. Actually I have five names.
So you have the real opportunity of me telling you about all my five names. So, Sikuku is not actually my name.

0:52
It's my surname.
Yes.
My dad's name Sikuku.
Yes. Okay.
My dad was born on the 25th of December.
December. Nice.
So, back in those days in the 40s,
most people call their kids Shikuku.
Yes.
But my grandfather having come back from World War II.
Yes.
Like, no, I'm going to name this kid proper. Yes.
So, he named my dad Siku.
Okay. Okay.
Right. Nice.
So, that's that's my son.
Okay. And then there's Abuka.
Mhm.
Abuka in our tribe means seed.
Yeah.
So I was given that name by my paternal grandfather.
Uh uh my paternal grandfather of course is amor. My dad is amor. So basically I'm
Yes.
Then there's nga.
Da means father of many uncles.

1:39
Okay.
It doesn't make sense in English.
Yes.
But in
No, now that's my maternal grandfather. That's my uh my Maragoli people.
Okay.
Yes. That's why when I saw your name Mudachi, I was like,
you thought I'm one of you? Yes.
Cuz some of my uncles are called Mudachi.
Okay.
Yes. And then there's Elia Kim.
Mhm.
My baptismal name.
Okay.
And then now there's Mlan. So Mlan um my my mom was in labor went through labor for 30 hours. So there's this doctor who's called Mlan at Jami Hospital. Okay.
So when he was going off uh for his uh shift, he left my mom in labor. When he came back,
he found her in labor.
Found in labor. So the other those uh there's a mid those days those days used to have midwives.

2:32
Mhm.
There's a midwife who told my dad, "Kidogo, you have to decide between your wife and your child."
Wow.
I'm glad my daddy made that decision cuz usually the children get the short end of the stick. M
cuz you're always like I can get more children.
So my dad couldn't make up his mind. So when this mongu doctor came back he he was an Anglican father
and the same time he was a gynecologist. So when he came back he was like hey bana this woman has been here for now 30 years. I mean I'm a choker I'm told I'm a choker
like what's happening? So he was told the the background. Yeah the history. So I pulled my dad aside and said, "Look, I'm going to do something very unconventional. It might work, it might not work. I might save both or I might lose both. Do you agree? I I I tried it." My dad was like, "Yeah, please go ahead. If it will if you have a high chances of saving both, I'm in." So he went in with one nurse, closed the door. So my mom, a nurse, and Dr. Mlan,

3:40 few minutes later, I came out.
Oh, wow.
Yeah. Yeah. And your mom survived.
And my mom survived.
Excellent.
Yeah. That's so that's how I was named Mlan.
Okay.
And you have chosen to walk around asuku Mlan. So very memorable. There are few people who will forget you
when they when when they connect with those two names.
Few. Yeah.
So suku tell us about yourself. Um where do you come from? Um
how do you find yourself in this entrepreneurial space?
Yeah.
Um and what what what drives you? So let's start with where I came from. So I'm a child of two cities.
Mhm.
I was born Nairobi but most of my life was raised in Kital um at the Kim to be specifically place called Dalu.

4:24
Okay.
So um back in those days my paternal maternal grandfather had huge tracks of land. One of those guys.
Yes. So [sighs] we used to go to school uh early primary school we had to attend um school there in Dalu. So had to learn one two three in Lua
and then my upper primary school I came back to Nairobi. Um again I was raised in two estates. So there's Kaleni estates uh big up my Calenni estate guys. There's a street there called a thousand street. Mhm.
It's very famous if you know history.
Yes.
But very few people know the the history of a thousand street. And then now we moved to Kario Bangi South. As I was telling you this very coincidental because this is podcast number 56.

5:25
Yes.
And the mat root.
That is my mat root. Route number 56.
Yeah. So grew up in Karabangi then. Um had a very good childhood. I number five out of six. My dad was a senior chief in the government of Moy. My mom is a principal um in for a primary school. Move moved around a bit. Okay.
But here in Nairobi
public primary school
public primary school. Yeah. So I'm a very
uh our house is a very civil servant oriented you know very disciplined very
Yeah. So during primary school did very well. Back in those days we had districts
remember.
So I was the best in in Makadara district. Went to
went to
Then I went to Aafa.
Okay.
Yeah. So then after Fafa that's where I learned how to play rugby then played for two three clubs mostly Nandi and KCB. After that went for my A levels joined my career for one year and then I had Stratthmore offering rugby scholarship. My cousin actually was in Stratmore.

6:40
Yes.
Yeah. Dan Malma the one who told me hey what are you doing in Uganda? You
come back to Strat. So that's how I ended up in Strat
on a rugby scholarship.
On a rugby scholarship. Yes.
Okay.
Yeah.
And what did you study?
I studied BCOM.
Okay.
Majored in uh finance and marketing.
Yeah. And where does life post university take you?
Post [snorts] university life started in university.
Now you need to understand that rugby scholarship was a 75%. Still had to hustle for 25%.
When I was in primary school now when I moved from Koleni to Karubangi South it was like an upgrade.
You need to understand in Kalen we didn't have a parking didn't have neighbors who had very many cars. In fact, one of my sister was born at the back of a car which was like two cars in Caleni. So in the 80s like you want to go sir, you want to go to hospital, there are three guys we need to call.

7:40
And one of my sisters born at the back of that capital.
Yes.
But in Karangat all of a sudden wake up in the morning neighbors have cars.
So I was very entrepreneurial. So I started washing their cars. I used to sell oranges. I could brush people's shoes. So when I joined Strath I was like you know what piece of cake I already have history I can hustle.
So I started importing supplements.
Okay.
Yes. Cuz remember
these are for gym supplements.
Gym supplements.
So for working out?
Yes.
Yes.
Between 2011 and 2016 there's no rugby player I didn't sell supplements to.
And where were you importing them from?
US Dubai.
Okay.
Yes.
Okay. When African Salia started, I was one of the very first customers. Yeah.

8:28
That's how I bridge the 25% gap.
Okay.
Yeah. Like me, I never knew what a host looked like in Nairobi.
Mhm.
Where were you saying?
Yes. Okay.
In the DSQ.
Yes.
Yeah.
Okay.
Yeah. That's how all the rugby players used to come and leave their kit at my house
cuz they didn't want to go with it to their homes cuz remember Stratthmore doesn't have a lot of host.
That inform your choice of degree. Yes.
Your entrepreneurial nature.
It did.
Okay.
Yeah. Because you know in Ma I was doing statistics. So when I came on someone wanted me to do acturial.
Yeah. [clears throat]
I was like nah insurance banking. Nah. I need something more hands-on something to do with a lot of business. So I did be big finance.

9:12
Okay.
Yeah. Marketing.
Okay. And you then uh do what three four years in Stomo?
Four years.
Four years.
And you graduate graduate. No. So now I started [clears throat] selling supplements first year.
Yeah.
Played rugby. Uh joined Kenya team. I was actually at Strat.
In third year I got employed.
Wow.
Wow.
While still in uni.
While still in uni. [clears throat]
Who employs you?
A consultancy firm out of Dubai.
Okay.
Okay. Now through my sister
doing what?
Um mostly um Okay. One, it was financing for projects. Two, it was project uh inception, implementation, supervision, anything to do with consultancy, management, we used to do it. Yeah.

10:02
Does that lead to you pressing the pause button on your degree or you juggle the two?
I need Yes. Start juggling three cuz remember I have a business.
You have a business.
I'm in school.
In school
and now I'm employed.
Okay.
Yes. And you know in Strat
Mhm.
you have to sign all your classes.
Yes.
Had to become very creative.
I don't advise anyone to do this. This stops this had to stop with me. But one of my best friends Tony Sbea, he had to learn my signature
very quickly.
Yeah.
Yes.
Okay.
Yeah. So Sbe used to sign for me.
I'm not proud by saying he used to sign for me, but that was the
your reality.
It was my reality because now I have extra income.

10:45
Yes. uh that means we don't I don't need to rely on supplements 100%. And I can still play rugby and I can still go to class. So I needed I needed someone to fill in that gap.
And what do you learn from that journey of or how is the last that I would assume that's the last year? So you do that for one year and that takes you into graduation.
Yes.
So postgraduation you continue with the consultants. I continue the consultants then I get head hunted
by a Singaporean firm.
Okay.
Yes. So
to go to Singapore
to go to Singapore to train and then to come back and lead their now East African division.
And what are you training in or what does a farm do?
Still real estate but this time [clears throat] I've moved from the consultancy side to the development side. So now I'm a developer. Okay.

11:37
Yes. So the consultancy side gave me like a background of how to know lead a development company. Yeah. So now I become a general manager of of East Africa.
They train you?
Yes. They train me.
Okay.
Yes.
In in Singapore and and you
Yeah.
That's quite early to to jump into GM.
It is.
Yes.
But remember
my journey is not is not the conventional journey.
Yes.
Cuz from pri from high school I went to A level. for the last 2 years.
Yes.
Then I joined Mer one year. [snorts] Then I come and do Strat 4 years.
So you were older. You must have been one of the oldest in your class.
I'm telling you, I used to sit in that class. I'm just like, "Oh my god, look at these children." like this and then you have like ah children and then they are spoiled children like

12:30
ah okay most of now all of them are my friends now but they are just like oh my goodness complaining about their car broke down at they need to go to Bahamas over the holiday I'm like I'm going to car broke down
so when you get into your Singapore now Singapore, you're working for the development company. How does the journey progress?
It really opened my eyes like you you would I used to tell people Nairobi is a bubble,
right? It's a big bubble. You need to come out of Nairobi to to know a lot of things. First of all, about yourself and about the world.
Yes.
Like between me [clears throat] cuz I used to import supplements from Dubai. So I went to Dubai while I was in like first year second.

13:21
Yeah.
Right. I remember one of my friends again um Eric Coachola I had half the fair he contributed the other half.
Mhm.
Right. And my girlfriend back then who okay became my wife right really supported my business as well. Like I I couldn't do whatever I'm doing if I didn't have people in my life.
Okay.
Right. So that's one of the things I realized very quickly. There's no way you you'd work alone. You need people. You need you need Sbe to sign for you. You need 4 p.m. I call him 4 p.m. You need 4 p.m.
to to get you that half of the fair. You you need you need Pauline to stand in and continue selling supplements and and keep a brave face when you're out of town for 5 days and people don't know where you are. Even your coach M

14:16
even your mom and dad don't know where you are. You call them from Dubai and you're like supposed to be in class.
So you need you need people to to walk with you the journey and you need people to stand in for you in places you can't you can't be.
Okay.
Yeah. Because you need to be there but you can't be there. Okay.
So very very early in my life I learned and especially like in Singapore I learned that you can have systems but you still need people.
Okay.
Right. And I think that also uh like helped me when I was the GM at at um AFA. It's called Afra Holdings Limited Singapore. So when we when we registered Afra here in Nairobi, I needed to um have people like Gibbrel stand in for me, open doors for me.

15:09
And what does Afra do?
Afra? They're just developers.
Developers. So traditional developers acquire a piece of land, conceptualize, develop,
build, sell. Yes. Yes.
And what are they selling? Residential or mixed use development. Yes. Yes.
Okay. So,
and where are we from a timeline perspective?
This should be 2017.
Okay.
Yeah.
Okay. 2017.
So, the the that real estate bubble is now is now at its peak almost.
Yeah. Cuz remember 2017 is when his excellency former president Huru Kata
announces big for agenda.
Yes.
Cuz he needs to run for reelection.
Yes.
For his second term. M so that's when now we we plug in with AFA
we come in we start first by trying a project with uh his excellency the former governor of Kiamu

16:04
yes
so that doesn't work then now we switch to um identifying a cooperative so we went with the UN circle they had about 100 acres at L Kenya okay so we did a JV with So between 2018 and 2019 we do all the back and forth paperwork n due diligence showhouse blah blah blah everything then 2019 December Huru comes and cuts the ribbon we start
m
and you build what for them
oh
with them sorry with the
so the plan was we build 8,000 units
supposed to be the biggest housing development in
East Africa
outside Cairo and you know Jobak Mhm.
Then March 2020, COVID happens.
Okay.
Yeah.
So that kind of mess up. What does it look like today? What ended up being built?

17:00
Nothing.
Oh, really? The project didn't take off.
No, it did.
Because of COVID.
Because of COVID. Okay.
Now, you need to understand Singapore. Singaporeans are 3 million people in the entire world.
Yes.
They have 7 million population, but 4 million are expatriots.
Wow. workers from India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Australia.
Yes.
So when you have 3 million people and COVID hits, what do you do?
Yes.
You recall all of them back home.
Oh wow.
So they packed up their bags and they left.
M.
Yeah.
Okay.
Of course. Because for
they shut down Africa.
They have to shut it down.
Okay.
Because between
So you find yourself jobless.
Yes.

17:41
2020.
Yes.
Mhm. And remember I'd already shut down my supplement business
because you're now high roller.
Yeah, you're a GMA.
Yes.
Yes.
So I am jobless.
Okay.
2020 August.
Mhm.
I remember that. Okay. So 2020 March 27th we that's when Kenya shut down. That's my birthday actually. So I remember that day I was like we are cutting cake. My mom is at my place and they're like by 6 p.m.
Yeah. So 2020 March 27th we shut down. 2020 August 21st we close completely.
Okay.
I have to let everyone go. I remember I [clears throat] had to fire people before I shut down the company and then they had to fire me.
I don't know if it has ever happened to your life, but

18:44
firing people up until now usually is the hardest thing I
It's brutal.
It's brutal.
Like you have to look that person in the eyes and that you you've you've spent like two and a half years with this guy.
He's even moved to a different house. He's bought a car. He now believes his
life.
But then I have to tell him
at first people blamed me and I was like it's natural. No, cuz uh people always thought that, you know, I really run the shots.
You're the you're the face.
I'm the face.
But then they saw me on the streets after August and they're like, "Ah."
Okay.
Yeah. So,
so what what what what what does that lead you to?
First of all, I almost went into depression.

19:38
I withdraw from society, from my friends, family.
Uh because you need to understand for a very long time, ever since I started my entrepreneurial journey, selling oranges and washing cars in high school, right? Brushing people's shoes. I I've always been that guy who always knew at any one point in my life at any any one month in my life I used to make money. Now I can't. Now all I need to depend on is my savings. Again remember you you need people in your life. So the person who like really came through for me is my wife because when I was a GM when I was business development at at Fields International in Dubai then GM in Afra and all that I I used to tell her I'm not going to pay for anything because through Campo she held me down you know like she really held me down. So Kumbbe this young lady all through she's been saving like real saving like she didn't touch her sal cuz I used to pay everything um bread food nin her folks my forks

20:49 like so me I'm I'm wallowing in my myasmas and then my wife tells me oh by the way um I've been saving so we need just to move to a smaller how
Mhm. [clears throat] need to remove my car. By then she was what? She was [snorts] almost 2 years. I was one of those guys who at 18 months Mhm.
And you know I have to downgrade sell one of my cars.
Where is woman?
Eh,
where is woman?
Yes, she is.
Yeah.
So yeah, we do all that. We rearrange our lives. Then 2021 comes. Now I need to like really figure out what next. That's where the animal feeds thing comes in.
Okay. So I go into animal feeds
like 100%.
I go
let's let's touch on that um a bit. Um maybe tell us
what you saw because um we have we have had about four three or four guests on the podcast.

22:10
Yeah.
Who are in the livestock space?
One in dairy, one in sheep and and and and quite a few and they are very popular. Yeah.
So what do you see about livestock feeds that tells you okay this is an opportunity worth pursuing?
Margins.
Okay.
Margins are crazy.
So you buy you buy a sack by then used to buy a dairy meal at 2300 from PBE.
Mhm.
Right. I used to sell it at 2500.
Mhm.
In Kitali and they bring it to you.
Okay. So transportation cost zero.
How I started? Okay, let me be honest again. Most of my businesses and my employment usually by
through people by accident.
Yes.
So I don't like I didn't figure it out. I didn't sit down
had an epiphany and I was like I'm going to know. Yeah. So between August 2020 and January 2021, I used to sneak out of Nairobi and go and see my dad. Back then I had a Subaru BP9 Outback.

23:22
Still love that car.
That car could do miles.
So sneak out then go and see my dad then sneak back in, you know. So my sneaking out and sneaking back in, my dad kept telling me get for me pebe feeds.
Okay.
At one point it almost broke my shocks
cuz put the seats down at the back cuz cuz you know it's a
it's a whatever. It's a it's like a hatchback.
So Jazza feeds there. I reach home. I tell my dad I can't do this anymore. I love you my father. I am supporting your farming business but you're destroying my car.
Then he's like now what? Where will I get this fee? These are the best fees in the market. And I'm like, "Okay, now I need to sit down." So I try [clears throat] and get Pembbe and Kal is not there. So I come back to Nairobi.

24:16
I go to the offices
at the PMBBa flams.
No, Pembbe Flamills.
Pembbe Flams. Yes. Okay. Pembbe Flam Lungala in area. So I go there. I sit down with uh the head of animal feeds production, Mr. Marjan. Mhm.
I as I need feeds in there feeds. He sends me back to get to see their saleserson
saleserson sits me down and tells me hey bros we don't have anyone. So unless you open a shop there we make you a distributor I I can't just help you cuz here the demand is too big. I say okay. Come back from Kitali, sit down with my wife. I'm like, "How much money do we have?" She tells me, I tell her, "Okay, I need like a 1.52 million of that to go and open up a shop in Kitali." She thought I she thought I was nuts. I was like,

25:20
she was like, "Why? Why?" [clears throat] Like, "Why not leits? There are clients there." one I I already have market. My dad buys almost 10 sacks every month right now. This is the first time I have a brick and motor cuz my supplement business I used to sell it from my house.
So first time. So I needed to like have a budget, have a shop, have employees, get a pickup, you know, lease, sorry, lease a pickup cuz I that money was enough to buy a pickup. So yeah, then I start. So to [snorts] answer your question, margins, the margins were crazy. Okay, that's 200 shillings, right? And you would do easily 10 ton, which was like what divide by 50 um
500
500 bags. 200 Yeah. 250 bags.
Mhm.

26:25
Do 250 bucks every 2 3 days.
Okay.
Right. So the margins are crazy. And then there are ribbits. So you do after every two or three tracks you are given some more ribbits right by 2021 December cuz December there usually a rush there's a week I did a turnover of between 7 million shillings
okay
in one week
on feeds
on feeds trucks were just coming trucks were coming offloading selling coming offloading selling yeah
and this is just dairy meal or this is a
d me uh layers as broilers, beef fring, no uh cal pellets.
Okay,
this is the first time I'm dealing with this product. I know nothing about I needed to sit down,
study like the ruminant, know the bacteria in the cows, what they they need to eat, you know, what gives you optimum milk, right? Eggs, like why is it that this shell comes out like this? And cuz you know a shell in an egg is the is the main thing. Okay. So if the the the um cuckoo start laying eggs and then they're not the shell is not hard there's some deficiency. So what do you need now to supplement with apart from

27:46 the feeds? Then I went into pharmaceuticals as well.
Yeah.
Okay.
Dealt.
So what does your feeds business teach you about the livestock ecosystem? [sighs] that if we concentrate on livestock ecosystem, it's the only way we could get our society from first uh third world to first world. And I'll explain
now. [clears throat] Back then, I used to deal with mostly dairy and poultry. Right now, I'm dealing with beef. in dairy. Um, we are a loss making country when it comes to dairy. Especially the subsistent farmers. Only the big dairy farmers make money. The small farmers don't make money, right? Why? Because no proper nutrition. The feeds are a bit expensive. A bit. And then the logistics is killing the dairy industry. Like if you have a

28:51 farmer who has two cows and if you have a farmer who has 200 cows, the logistics are very different. This guy with two cows has to [clears throat] milk take those and then they have wrong cows. I mean by wrong cows I mean the genetics are off.
True.
Right. So this guy has wrong cows. So he's he's already two steps back. The guy has 200 cows as orians. These guys are mixed cow man.
So they produce small amount of milk. It can be three four [clears throat and cough] I could say um liters right then they [clears throat] take the milk to the on the road. they have to wait for that guy or bodab border to come and pick the milk right. So a lot of contamination happens. Then this border border takes to the cooperative society and the cooperative society has to aggregate and then now take to the uh

29:54 crearyy right. [clears throat]
So that whole first of all a lot of contamination happens. Meanwhile, the 200 milking hand,
that guy
has a cooler
at his farm,
right? He negotiates with the the crearyy or whatever he takes the milk. He negotiates with them. Like they come and tell you, come and tell him we'll buy at 45. He's like, "No, you'll buy at 48 because if you don't buy, I'll sell to this other guy." Mhm.
But the guy who has 3 lit, 4 lit in a day, he's at the mercy of whoever is comes to buy the milk.
Yeah.
So they don't make much. That's why there's there a vicious cycle of always this guy always has three cows. I'm sure you you you have those guys even in your shags.

30:46
You've known this guy has four cows.
20 years later he has five cows.
There's no growth. There's no difference to that's why I'm saying it's a loss making venture. But you people always say, you know, you have to have
then I'm like, okay, for for what purpose? If I'm having one cow this year and three cows next year and I'm having those three cows in 10 years, then where's the growth?
How does this how do these learnings that you have made in this feed business?
Yeah.
Lead you to livestock X.
So before livestock X,
yes.
So I do I do the feed business till 2020. three.
Mhm. [clears throat]
I sell it to my cousin.
Mhm.
Right. Then in 2023 now I start working for a software company.

31:37
Remember I'm I'm this one versatile guy who you give me your business. Even right now a few of my friends who have businesses I have to sit down with them look at okay where you are where are you in your business? What are you doing? Where would you like your business to be? Right? I do that mostly over the weekends. Just some small small consultancy advice for free. I don't I don't charge anyone cuz they are my friends. I've known them for like 20 30 years.
So one of my friend comes to me uh his name is Peter. He's like you know what I run this software company. I've heard you sold your business. I I would like to you know bring you on board. help me [clears throat] turn around this this software cuz he's a developer, he's a geek, you know, he's a guru. So, he needs somebody on the the business development side. So, between 2023 uh February till 2024 October, I am immersed in the world of software

32:43 development. Okay.
I have never known anything to do with software development other than I have a phone, it has an operating system and that's it. I have a laptop. I need to always buy licenses for it. That's it. So I I'm throwing the deep end. I sit down with developers, back end, front end.
And what are you developing?
All sorts of software. So Peter has done softwares for governments, institution, non-governmental organizations, individual businesses, you know, logistic businesses, name but a few. Like he he he's done his 10,000 hours. So, but now I need to learn everything about software development so that I know how to package this in front of clients. Yeah. So, that's where my software development journey kicks in.

33:32
Okay.
Yeah. So, now 2024 October um we were supposed to do a software for another client for uh an auction platform. So I start reaching out to a few of my friends. I'm like, you know what? This this is what I need to do and I don't have an idea. So I reach out to one of my friends in the US, [snorts] uh, L Shman now. And I've known Lou since my real estate days. Now I know Lou has a software company, right? I built,
right? So I reach out to him and he's like, "Okay, let me reach out to a few of my guys, right? I see what we can we can give you a client. So then we reach out to Livestock XUK. Now they have [clears throat] an amazing platform. I've never seen anything like it cuz remember for like 2 years I've been immersed in the world of software. So I am learning I am googling. I am doing YouTube tutorials. I'm learning everything and anything to do with

34:38 software. I go back and learn the history of software development. all the founding fathers how big the CPUs were, what type of code that was written when guys are going to the moon, you know, handwritten
by a lady.
I was like, what you write a code now tell GBT to write a code and boom,
yeah, you get code, you know. So, I've never seen anything like Lifestox. So we get discussing discussing we tell livestock about this client who wants an auction platform. So we try to get this client on board. [clears throat] This client has other ideas. Now that's the not the way the livestock X works. This client wants the livestock to come at their auction ring. We sell the livestock through livestock X but then we televise it. And then Mari

35:34 says, "Nah, that won't work." Mari is the founder of Livestock X. The Livestock X is like Uber. You need to download it even in Wajir.
Mhm.
List your animals and then sell them. Then a transporter needs to come in, pick the animals, takes them to the slaughterhouse or whichever guy has bought them and then now money moves from his wallet to the farmer's wallet. Simple. So you don't need all these, you know, uh, sideh shows that this client had had given us the requirements. We saw it like sideshows cuz that's not the way Liftock X was designed.
Yeah.
So 2024 end. Now I have to make a decision. I have to make a decision in terms of either I continue with Peter or I jump ship to now uh establish livestock eggs in in in Africa and we convince uh Mar together with Lou that livestock X needs to start in Kenya in Africa remember livestock is already in UK already Netherlands they're having conversation in Portugal and in Spain Right. So Africa to them was like, "Yes, but you

36:54 need to you guys need to prove that Livestock X can actually work in in Kenya." So yeah, so Lou had to fly over to UK, bought shares of livestock X. So I build has 50% shares of livestock X in 24 countries, Kenya being one of them. So come back, set up office, train people, get vets, get transporters, get farmers. That's why when you go to my LinkedIn page,
Yeah.
I'm always in one farm or the next. I've been in
Kenya is beautiful. First of all, let me just say this. Kenya is beautiful. If if no one has ever like
journeyed through our country, take time.
Take time. Go to Garbatula. Go to Meriti. Go to Masimara. Go to Kaji. I mean, go to Voyani.
Go to Tana River. Wow.
And animals are what's taking you there?

37:54
Yes. Cuz remember now
you're trying to [clears throat] on board farmers.
Yes.
Or livestock ranchers onto.
And is it all livestock or it's just cattle?
All livestock.
Okay.
Donkey camel included.
Yeah. All livestock. And if I understand you right, so the portal, you register on the portal.
Yes.
And it's it there's an opportunity to go and buy like if I was to download the portal now.
Yes.
What do I get
when I log in?
So you download as
I download as a buyer.
You download as a buyer. Good. So Alan, this week on Monday, a very large buyer came to our office. It's like I want 300 heads of kettle every month. So we need to connect that buyer. There's there are two things can happen in livestock. You can do a two-way buy or two-way sell depending if you're a farmer or a buyer.

38:49
What does two-way buy or sell?
Meaning if I have the cattle and you want to buy those specific number of kettle once I list like this then you deal with me. We negotiate. M [clears throat]
but there's that open listing where if you're a farmer and I'm a buyer, you just list all your 200 heads of kettle
and anyone out there can can bid and Yeah.
And bids are open for how long?
Bids are open for a week. We'd like to extend that but because of how livestock X was um constructed cuz you know life software development is like brick and mortar. There's architecture, there's processes, you know, systems. So, how livestock was designed,
it follows the London exchange, you know, concept.

39:37
Yes.
Buying and selling of shares.
Okay.
When you're buying and selling of shares, bids cannot be an ending. They have timelines. Yes.
Cuz remember Marus worked in London Stock Exchange for 18 years. Okay.
Before he founded Livestock.
Okay.
Yeah. So what does that now I I I like to interesting you bring that up but it's always interesting to take something and then contextualize it for local.
Yeah.
So what has that journey been like? How many farmers do you have now?
How many vets vendors are on the portal?
Yeah.
And what has the journey been since you started?
The journey was um I could say difficult end of 2024 early 2025 because of education. Mhm.

40:19
You're telling someone to list their cow on a platform that they know very little about, right? But then you tell them, "I'll get you a buyer." You go to the buyer and tell them, "I'll get you the cow."
So this guy needs to start trusting you.
Yes.
So first of all, education. Education was was a big hurdle. So you need to start educating vets. We have about 3 258 vets on the platform. Yes. On the platform.
Then you need farmers. We have 456 farmers registered. Then you need buyers. Right now we have 126 buyers
from
who are your buyers? Just what's your profile of your average buyer?
Anyone who wants livestock for breeding.
Mhm. anyone who wants livestock for um improving meaning you want to buy this livestock you put it in a feed lot you fatten it then you sell it again

41:20
yes and what's your what's your KYC for the animals how do you confirm the vets
or the vets okay
they're on the ground right
they're on the ground and then they went to school to learn about this animal right
and before the animal is listed The vets have checked them.
Yes.
Okay.
It has to be a vet.
So maybe just for the sake of the audience, maybe walk us through the journey.
Sure.
From the different parameters.
You have an animal.
You have an animal.
So let's now let me play the role of the farmer.
Yes.
I call you I say I have 10 of cattle.
I I ask you,
do you have a vet in the area?
Say yes.
Yes.
There are 20,000 vets in Kenya spread across the country.

42:04
Okay.
So you have vet surgeons and you have part of it.
Mhm. depending on which type of vet you have but you have mostly paraveets more than the vet surgeons.
We tell you, okay, give us the name of your paraveet. We contact them. We tell them,
go to Leonard's farm. He has 10 animals.
We send them tags
for free plus applicators.
Okay.
They tag all your animals.
We tell you to download Livestock X. The vet downloads it as well.
The vet lists all your animals. Now you're on Livestock X. So the vet lists
the vest the vest is the one who can list or you can list.
And what what does listing look like? Is there the tag and then the what? Photos.
Photos and videos. An 8second video.

42:46
Okay.
Yeah. We have an AI tool right now.
Yes.
Which is going to tell you what type of animal it is by just we are training it right now.
Yes.
By just the photo.
Okay.
Yeah.
So once that the animal is up. Yes. Now let me wear another heart of the buyer.
I come in, I log in, I'm already on Livestock.
When I go in, what do I see?
What you see is the animals which are being listed that day.
Mhm. [clears throat]
Right.
Mhm.
Now, we very quickly realized the demand is not the problem in the livestock sector. We import 380,000 metric tons of meat every year.
Protein. Yeah. We import. Now that importation is different. People think, "Oh, you have [snorts] hundreds and thousands of containers coming in." No, our importation is these animals walk into Kenya. True. 380,000 metric tons of meat, goat, sheep, cow, camel, donkey,

43:52
right? Pigs really walk. Pigs. But those other ones walk in from as far as Eritia, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania, Uganda, Tanzania are two biggest suppliers.
So our buyers started complaining. They're like, "Hey dude, you don't have enough animals listed." So we're like, "Okay, so what do we do now? It's another opportunity to learn, right? I usually see uh hurdles as opportunities. Of course, with my background, you always have to see everything as an opportunity.
So, we sit down with our guys last year. We say, "Okay, now we need what we call a feed lot program. We're going to be aggregating these animals in all these areas, put them in feed lots, make sure they're properly dewormed because some of the animals we sold at first, we didn't know their history. We didn't know where they came from. We didn't know whether they were vaccinated, dewormed. We didn't know. We didn't know

44:54 anything. So, we're like, okay,
let's identify feed lot operators in all these areas that are, you know, uh good for beef farming, right? Whether whether it's in Wajia, Isol, Mandera, Marabit, Kajiad, and everywhere and anywhere there's livestock. Let's identify feed lot operators. But if you're a feed lot operator and you'd like to reach out www.livestockx.com [clears throat]
you get all the all the details. So we have a feed lot program. You aggregate the animals, we feed them cuz another issue now comes. You have animals in a feed lot but someone doesn't have feeds, right? You don't have fodder. Foder is like a grass npia lan sudan grass. Again all these things I learned through the job.

45:45
Yeah.
So we identify a local for supplier. We partner with the local feed suppliers. One of them being PMBBE who I've known for started your business a long time. Yeah.
So right now we have PMBBE, Una, Deuse and more coming on board. But those are the three big suppliers we have. So
in in feed lot grass alone is not enough, right? Cuz remember you need to fatten this. You need to put this cow in quarantine. You need to fatten it and then you need to finish it. Those three processes need to take between 90 to 110 days, right? And once that cow is almost ready, you need a buyer. On the buying side, Leonard, there's no problem there.
The supply side is the problem.
You go to any big slaughterhouse, KMC, Farmer's Choice, Nama, name it. You go to any big supplier.

46:50
Yeah.
They condemn about 40% of the animals on a daily. Condemning mean this animal has worms in the liver. The their pancreas is fried cuz you have to open an animal for then you do an autopsy very quickly.
Then the director of vetinary services will tell you this animal is is fit for human consumption.
Yes. So when they open these animals up they realize they are not this animal has never been vaccinated. So they have all these kind of diseases.
So they incinerate them.
Yeah. So we saw that as an issue last year. So this year we said okay let's now bring all these animals in controlled environment. Let's vaccinate them. Let's deworm them. Let's take the longer route. Let's make sure by the time I tell I'm telling Leonard h this animal came from kina. Yes.

47:47
Stayed in a feed lot for 90 days. This is the vaccine that we gave it. This is the dewormer that we gave it. These are the feeds that it ate. Because once you deworm an animal, once you give it antibiotics at the quarantine stage, you don't give it any other medicine. So within 90 days, all those things are flushed out cuz it's drinking water, it's eating, and it's in a controlled environment. Right? By the time it leaves that feed lot, animal is not only good for for to eat but that becomes prime.
Yes.
And what weight what what weight did you achieve or what
for after? Yeah.
Especially steers you would gain between 1.2 to 1.7 kilos depending on the breed.
Depending on the breed. Yes. Per day. M.

48:39
So it would come in maybe.
What target weight do you What target weight do you target?
Right now we're targeting 350.
Yeah.
Selling weight.
Yes. Live weight. Because remember we're selling live.
Right. [clears throat]
Because again one of the things that has been plaguing livestock industry is that this farmer from Garbatula has to find a track. Put in his 200 goats. Come all the way to Kamiko.
Make sure the goats are slaughtered. Right. And then I paid
then go back to garbatula.
So how do you determine price?
We don't determine price. We facilitate. You facilitate because you're a portal, right? We facilitate the trade.
Yeah.
So we telling this farmer in Gbatula, you have your small feed lot. Put in all your 800 goats and cows. Leonard, I've gone to a place. I've seen 800 goat and sheep in one line going to a watering hole.

49:41
M
it was one of the most beautiful sites I've ever seen.
Right. So, we tell them, "Put it there. We'll we'll help you feed. If you have feed, please feed. We'll help you feed. We'll get a transporter. We have about 80 transporters in our portal right now to come pick those animals.
Take to
So, Skuku, you're not you're not just an auction site. No,
you've evolved now.
You're both an aggregator.
Yeah.
You you are concerned about the welfare of the animals. So you you you're engaging on the feed
Yes.
space. You're engaging on the health care space, the vet care of of the animal.
Yes.
So what kind of numbers are we talking about throughput through livestock X at the moment? Right now combined we have about 2,500 animals which will start offloading them mid of this month. [clears throat]

50:38
Wow.
Yeah.
And growing.
And growing.
Okay.
Yes.
What does the future look like in this space for you?
Um let's assume your plan as you have laid it out.
Yes.
Takes root.
Yes.
How does it come together? How many farmers are you targeting to on board? How many feed lots around the country are you targeting to have? Yeah,
that's a good question. There are 22 million farmers in Kenya, 5 million of which are livestock farmers.
Okay.
Now, the livestock farmers we know is the mas reilus,
right? Boranas walking around these animals up and down our country depending on the rain, feed, sour. So, we're trying to
um encourage them to put up feed lots. Okay,

51:22
we are targeting about 450 feed lots. We're already at number 23.
Okay,
in the past 2 months, we're targeting about 450 feed lots in the next 36 months. The first quarter of this year, we just learning on the feed lot operations. And now by the end of quarter 1, we start offloading these animals to the market, right? And aggregating more feed lots.
Now, you cannot have a feed lot without feed. feed meaning the uh concentrates and the mash which is in the factory and the fer all the grasses and the forage which is planted. So we get a fer supplier. So meaning we get to employ more farmers to grow grass for the animals, more employment opportunities. When these animals go into the feed lot there needs to have a vet, there needs to have a farm manager. need now the farmer

52:21 depending on the size of the feed lot right needs to be involved
and what size are your feed lots
uh we have
the 23 that you've already on boarded
average uh average number of 40 animals per feed lot
okay
okay
okay [clears throat] very interesting um I think one of the things that is interesting for me whenever we go down this route of agriculture
and more so livestock
yes is I think the average Kenyan could do with better education.
Yes.
On where their food come from. Where their food come from.
And that's that's our other thing. Our next phase.
Yeah.
We're just going to pile with 20 butcheries.
Mhm.
Traceability.
Mhm.
You'll go to one of these butcheries and it will have a livestock egg stamp. That meat will have a livestock egg stamp. Now you will know that that stamp means that that animal we as livestock eggs could verify it. Yes,

53:21
you can guarantee that that animal came from this farm and it was well vaccinated and it was wellfed
right by the time it reaches the slaughter house. You're eating proper meat.
Okay.
Yes.
Okay.
Yeah. Wiku the conversation has been quite intense but you capture I think what is an excellent opportunity and I I do agree with you that if we invest the time and take the science
um agree and livestock um I have a passion for small ruminants so they there are people who are like the the the the cows but I am a sheep and go
and I think The opportunity is amazing in terms of what we can do with that.
Yeah.
Um I think um we have come to the end of our time but I'll now give you a chance

54:16
to you you you you clearly are talking to very many people.
Yes.
So may maybe walk the viewers through the various categories of people you you at Livestock X would like to interact with.
Sure. and then share with them where they can find you so that they can contact you and these conversations can continue beyond this podcast.
Thank you.
Yeah.
So I'm dealing with various stakeholders. If you're a farmer especially uh livestock farmer, you have shorts that sheep sheep and goats. Um you have steers. You have dairy bulls. You know people don't understand that you could be in an area like Gonguri and there are daily bulls right and you like you know what I want to aggregate these bulls and to feed them very quickly and to offload them. Yeah, we can come in help you. So

55:08 farmers number one, farmers are at the core of livestock X. That's why we out of all the stakeholders in the value chain, we support farmers more.
Okay?
Right? So number one, if you are a livestock farmer, please reach out. Number two, if you are a transporter, if you transport livestock of any kind, cow, goat, sheep, camel, donkey, please reach out. We'll we'll get you work. Right? If you are a buyer, a butcher, especially women run butcheries,
we have a special financing coming up for women run butcheries and we're going to run it for the next 6 months before we now launch it. But if you if you are a woman and you have like a small butchery anywhere in Kenya,
okay,
please reach out. We have some good monies for you,

55:57
okay?
Unsecured financing as well. Okay,
I'm sorry uh for the boy child, but we'll get to you uh later on down the line, but the financia who you're working with specifically once women run butcheries.
Okay,
if you're a vet uh paret especially and you you know uh tune in or you know a vet, tell them to jump on to www.livestockx.com at livestock.com because each and every time we sell that animal that you have tagged, we pay you a commission.
Okay?
So, it means more money in the the pockets of of vets.
Okay?
And [clears throat] lastly, if you are a farmer, you don't have livestock, but you have land and you can grow grass, you can grow junko, you can grow Sudan grass, lusan, any type of grass. Yeah. Reach out. We'll buy all your grass.

56:49
Okay.
And give it to farmers who don't have the grass. Excellent.
Yes.
Excellent.
Good.
Wow. Sukumu Mlan.
Yes.
Thank you very much for sparing the time to join us here on the African Do podcast and telling us your story of Livestock X. Ladies and gentlemen, that was [clears throat] episode 56 of the African Do podcast where we featured Subuku Mlan of Livestock X and he walked us through this amazing journey that is going through of of curating this portal in a local context that aggregates farmers, vets, um, uh, transporters all in the livestock space. Check them out at www.livestockx.com livestock.com and uh we'll see you in episode 57. Thank you very much and have a nice day. [music]