Weaving Value into Kenya’s Wool Industry and Sustaining Rural Livelihoods

Across Kenya’s highlands and grasslands, sheep farmers have long sheared their flocks with the hope that wool would provide a steady income. Each year, more than two million kilograms of wool are produced, yet for many rural households, this resource has brought little return. Without strong local markets or value addition, wool has often been overlooked, despite its potential to transform livelihoods.

This presents a powerful opportunity for inclusive rural development. By investing in local processing and value addition, Kenya’s wool industry can increase smallholder incomes, create decent jobs, and strengthen rural economies.

In Kinangop Plateau, sheep farming has always been a way of life for many families. But when wool stopped bringing in income, many farmers switched to growing crops in search of income. The result was widespread grassland degradation, threatening the fragile ecosystem and pushing one of Kenya’s rarest birds, the Sharpe’s Longclaw, closer to extinction.

Turning wool into an alternative livelihood
Amid this challenge, Njabini Wool Crafters, a youth-led cooperative saw an opportunity: to restore the value of wool, strengthen rural livelihoods and protect the plateau’s unique ecosystem. Through the grant support from the GIZ’s Agri-Business Facility for Africa (ABF), the cooperative is training farmers in sustainable grazing practices, improving sheep breeding and processing wool locally into high-quality products. This is creating opportunities for women, youth and smallholder farmers, while safeguarding the grasslands that sustain both people and wildlife.

“The Matching Grant Fund has been incredibly supportive for us,” says Samuel Bakari, Director of Njabini Wool. “It has helped us bring in essential equipment, including drum carders and additional spinning wheels, both traditional and electric. The traditional spinning wheels provide a strong foundation for young spinners learning the craft, while the electric spinners help us increase efficiency and production.”

For years, many smallholder sheep farmers gave away their wool for free, sometimes even paying shearers, because it had no market value. With Njabini’s support, farmers are now learning new skills, improving wool quality and turning a once-wasted resource into a source of income.

“Before Njabini, people sheared my sheep and took the wool for free and sometimes I even paid them. I was left with nothing. Njabini taught us how to improve breeding and wool quality. Today, wool has helped me a lot. I now have 80 sheep, and the income I earn from shearing helps me pay school fees for my children,” shares Ezekiel Wainaina, a local sheep farmer.

Empowering women and youth through wool
Women and youth in Njabini’s community have found new pathways to economic independence. The cooperative has created employment opportunities for community members working as spinners, trainers, and artisans.

Chepkirui Terer recalls her first day at Njabini:
“I had no experience and no skills. They asked if I wanted to be trained, and I said yes. Today, I am a spinner and a trainer. The income I earn helps me pay rent, feed my family, and send my children to school.”

Njabini Wool has reached more than 1,800 farmers across Nyandarua County, reviving the wool value chain, creating local jobs, and protecting vital grasslands through sustainable grazing practices. Women and youth are earning stable incomes as spinners and artisans, while farmers are rediscovering the value of wool, helping safeguard the fragile habitat of the rare Sharpe’s Longclaw.

Wool collected from smallholder farmers is transformed into beautiful, finished products: shawls, handbags and mats for local and regional markets

From wool in local fields to textiles reaching regional and global markets, Njabini Wool is more than a business. It is a story of resilience and dignity, a testament to communities reclaiming their livelihoods while protecting nature. Every strand of wool carries a story of hope, woven one thread at a time.

Watch the success story video of Njabini Wool Crafters here:

This initiative is supported within the framework of the Matching Grant Fund (MGF), as part of the Joint Action “Business Support Facility for Resilient Agricultural Value Chains”, co-funded by the European Union under the Samoa Agreement with the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by GIZ.