Ruto, Kagwe spend Ksh1.3M on bulls at Nairobi Trade Fair auction, setting new prize record
President William Ruto and Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe headlined the 2025 Nairobi International Trade Fair livestock auction, driving up bids as premium Borana and crossbreed bulls sold for over Ksh1.3 million in total, setting new price records at the annual event.
The highly contested auction at Jamhuri showgrounds saw Ruto walk away with a prize Borana bull weighing 720 kilograms after placing the winning bid of Ksh700,000.
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Ruto had earlier placed Ksh300,000 for a 655-kilogram Borana from the Kenya Seed Company, but Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, however, outbid him to secure it at Ksh500,000.
In another round, Ruto offered Ksh400,000 for a 635-kilogram Borana, but Agriculture Principal Secretary Paul Ronoh outpaced him with Ksh600,000.
Kagwe secured a 630-kilogram crossbreed bull at Ksh600,000, after an intense bidding battle that left other offers on the table.
He had earlier placed Ksh200,000 on the champion Borana bull weighing 616 kilograms from the Kenya Seed Company, though Ruto eventually clinched it with a Ksh700,000 bid.
PS Ronoh kept the auction lively with several competing offers, including Ksh100,000 for the champion Borana and Ksh300,000 for the crossbreed, though his bids were surpassed.
The auction was part of the official opening of the Nairobi International Trade Fair, presided over by President Ruto on October 1, 2025.
During the Mombasa trade fair, the Head of State, alongside other government leaders, also supported farmers by buying the animals at the auction.
Ruto bought a Chianina breed imported from South Africa at Ksh1 million.
The exhibition has attracted over 300 participants from diverse sectors, including international exhibitors from China, India, Ghana, Tanzania, South Africa, Canada, and Nigeria.
The Nairobi fair remains one of the region’s largest platforms for showcasing innovations in agriculture, livestock, agribusiness, and trade.
It has been hosted by the Agricultural Society of Kenya (ASK) since 1902.
In recent years, the annual event has grown in leaps and bounds to host events that enable networking, B2B opportunities, innovation, technology showcasing, product launches, livestock shows, and customer engagement.
The Jamhuri Showground is a complex of exhibition, trade, conferencing, and networking facilities.
It comprises the Jamhuri Park Exposition and Conference Centre, a modern conference and M.I.C.E. facility with a capacity of 6000 seated guests and a 10-metre stage.
