| dc.description.abstract | The Kenya Livestock Marketing Council (KLMC) is mandated to address marketing issues of livestock in Kenya. However, it is weak and does not receive adequate budget for its operations. Merille market encounters challenges of operational systems for financial transactions and operational machines such as weighing scales for transparency in transactions processes, price variability, limited marketing support services and market information and credit services to traders and producers, absence of effective producer organizations at the grassroots and limited access to markets which provide inadequate opportunities for increased incomes. The purpose of the study was to investigate factors influencing livestock marketing in Marsabit region focusing on Merille livestock market. The study was guided by the following objectives: to establish the influence of socio economic characteristics, regional conflict, access to market and livestock market infrastructure and management on livestock marketing in Merille livestock market. The study was grounded on the following theories that include; market expansion theories, social exchange theory and attribution theory. A descriptive research design was used. The target population under the study was included; County Officials, Ministry of livestock officials, Livestock Traders, Residents, Marketing group committees and Administrative leaders. Random sampling was used to obtain the study sample proportionately. Further, the sample of 219 was drawn from a population of 512 using the formula by Kathuri and Pals (1993). Stratified proportionate random sampling method was applied to choose the respondents. This research applied primary data. The questionnaires were distributed by use of drop-and-pick later method to the respondents. In this study Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS Version 25.0) was used for analysis. All the questionnaires received were referenced and items in the questionnaire were coded to facilitate data entry. After data cleaning, which entailed checking for errors in entry, descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages, mean score and standard deviation was estimated for all the quantitative variables. The qualitative data from the open-ended questions was analysed using conceptual content analysis and presented in prose. In addition, inferential data analysis was done using multiple regression analysis. Multiple regression analysis was used to establish the relations between the independent and dependent variables. Results were presented inform of tables. The study found that livestock marketing in Merille livestock market is greatly influenced by socio-economic characteristics, regional conflict, and access to market information and livestock market infrastructure and management. The study concludes that Livestock market infrastructure and management had the greatest influence on Livestock Marketing in Merille Livestock Market followed by socio economic characteristics, then access to market information while regional conflict had the least influence on the Livestock Marketing in Merille Livestock Market in Kenya. The study recommends that Livestock Marketing Association and the animal producers need to carry out capacity building in management of the market and livestock productivity, that there is also a need for appropriate revenue sharing formula to be adopted, that there is a need to adopt and implement best livestock management practices and that county government need to markets. This will increase the revenue of the market. | en_US |
