Background

Studies at Galana Ranch, situated nearby, have shown that Orma Boran cattle do better when exposed to high tsetse challenge than improved Kenya Boran cattle that have been bred in areas of the Kenya highlands where trypanosomosis is absent. Infection and mortality rates due to trypanosomosis in the Orma Boran were approximately half of those observed in their counterparts (Dolan, 1998). However, these results were obtained under ranch conditions and little was known on how Orma Boran cattle fared under village management, especially in terms of milk production. A pilot household survey was therefore carried out among the Orma people to obtain information on their cattle keeping practices, to estimate levels of daily milk production and to obtain indicatiors of what further research was needed to combat the effects of trypanososmosis.