TikTok, beef and all in between: How Katherine is sizzling in the butcher business

Katherine Kario is a butcher. And while she does not slaughter the animals herself, her expertise lies in the purchase of livestock and the sale of beef in both wholesale and retail.

Over the past two years, she has eased into butchering as a full-time job, which she started doing as a side hustle in 2020 to survive the effects of the Covid-19 crisis, in her case a salary slash.

"I had to think and act quickly to find a supplementary income. Also, while working from home, I found that I had some free time on my hands."

The road led her to her father's butchery in Dagoretti Market, popularly known as Ndunyu, a Kikuyu word for market. The market, situated along the Nairobi-Naivasha railway line on 16.8 acres, was founded in 1950, according to a University of Nairobi study.

“This railway line was formerly used for transportation of people and livestock for trade from white-settler farms in the Rift Valley region to the City of Nairobi mainly for sale and slaughter.

“Until today, it is the main terminal market of livestock from the pastoral areas in Kenya as well as the neighbouring countries," Walter Wafula and Oliver Wasonga write in their paper: Analysis of Actors and Activities at Dagoretti Livestock Market in Nairobi City, Kenya.

Opportunity

Katherine figured out that because people were at home, she would deliver fresh meat bought from her father to clients who placed their orders online.

In 2021, things went back to what was described then as the "new normal". However, her employer was adamant that it would not reinstate her old salary. 

"It was unbearable, and eventually I decided to leave in the hope of getting better income from meat sales."

With her father Harun Kario's guidance, she quickly learnt the ways of the meat trade. Harun boasts 40 years’ experience in the trade. Back in the day, he would slaughter the animals in the abattoir, but nowadays he has fallen back to retail and wholesale only. Through this trade, he was able to finance Katherine's education up to university. 

Had her childhood dreams come true, the mother of two would be in a hospital somewhere tending the sick. "I always wanted to be a doctor and worked hard. Unfortunately, I got an A- and did not qualify. My parents could not afford the parallel programme. And perhaps because we did not have a lot of information then, I think my selection of universities also disadvantaged me," she recalls.

She ended up pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Sociology at the University of Nairobi. However, she has no regrets. The career path has, in many ways, contributed to the success she enjoys at her current job.

Working as a sales executive for a shipping company immediately after campus helped hone her communication and negotiation skills. To get to where she is, she has also had to develop a keen eye for quality beef cuts by simply looking at cattle's exteriors. This art has enabled her to progress quickly, earning her a reputation as a trusted and respected butcher.

Every day except Sunday, she wakes up at 4 am and leaves her house at 4.30am. She heads for a holding area, where cattle owners and butchers trade. By the time she arrives around 5am, the slaughterhouse is always buzzing with activity. Many cattle traders come from Ukambani, Wajir, Mandera, Voi, Migori and Nandi, an observation that is corroborated by Wafula and Wasonga in their research.

"The majority of the animals came from Southern and Northern rangelands of Kenya, 43.02 per cent and 21.68 per cent respectively, with only 9.33 per cent from Uganda and Tanzania."

Negotiating prices

Most animals sold here are cattle, followed by sheep and goats. The hardest part about the job is buying animals, Katherine says. 

"If your negotiation is on point and you purchase an animal at the best rate, you will, without a doubt, make profit. To do this, you need to be able to determine the weight and quality of cattle using the naked eye because these animals are not weighed. In the event that you fail and the weight ends up being much lower than what you paid for, the losses fall on you."

After purchasing an animal from the holding area, she heads for the abattoir, where the animal is slaughtered, a process she has to inspect. It took her not more than three days to be accustomed to the slaughter of a bull. Afterwards, the carcass is hanged and she begins to look for customers.

On this particular day, at midday, she still has a chuck and a brisket left. The day, in her view, is rather slow, but compared to her colleagues whose carcasses still stand full, she has done way better. She has had only one walk-in client; the rest were her online clients, one of whom was a new referral.

Katherine has invested in online marketing on Facebook. She boasts over 5,000 followers. She also has a TikTok account where she promotes her business. "On a good day, I finish selling by 8/9am, but today was one of the tougher days, that is why I am still here. Selecting the animal also took longer than usual."

Not too far away from her father's butchery, Emily Njeri, 68, is busy scrubbing bloodstained white dust coats. The red pigment sips from the coats into the water. She is one of the individuals who have availed themselves of the livestock market opportunities, having moved there 15 years ago. She hires out coats for Sh30 each. The coats are a requirement for entering the abattoir. Prior to this role, she would weed and plant crops for a living, but the job was physically taxing.

On a normal day, she arrives at the market by 4am. Like the livestock traders, she begins to wait for customers to stream in. "I have to be early so that I don't disappoint my clients who are also Katherine's clients." 

Emily's job can get quite tricky, especially when it rains. Last weekend when it rained, she dried the coats over a charcoal stove, which, to her, is a normal practice. Emily was acquainted with Katherine in 2020 as she first explored the possibility of becoming a butcher.

"We instantly hit it off. As you have seen, she is a very warm person and is easy to get along with. Since then, she often brings me new clients who want entry into the slaughterhouse."

Good work relationship

But before 2020, Emily had formed a longstanding work relationship with Katherine's father, which perhaps made their connection easier. He, too, referred new customers to her.

Emily works with one of her grandsons in the business. She wakes up every day without fail because she is supporting another grandson who is in a boarding secondary school in Nyeri. His parents, her children, have not been able to secure employment, so they all chip in to ensure his future is secure. She is hopeful he will be the changemaker in their home. Emily also works hard to avoid becoming a burden to those around her.

Like Emily, Katherine's drive is also family: her two boys. "I want to give them the best life that I can to ensure they are comfortable." 

This is perhaps the reason she persevered when a bull injured her, leading to the extraction of her toenail. Although she is fully healed, sometimes when she closes her eyes, she can still remember the pain. These are some of the occupational hazards that women have to endure, and which sometimes hinder them from going into the holding area to directly negotiate with traders. Some animals she reckons are also hostile. 

"Inside our slaughterhouse, I would say the ratio of men to women is 50/50, but only a handful of women negotiate for the animals themselves; many prefer to have the men do the bargaining on their behalf. It takes a special kind of tact to operate in the holding area."

As we tour the holding area and I take Katherine's photos, one trader keeps making lewd comments, which get on my nerves. I wondered how she deals with such behaviour daily. She, however, assures me that it is an isolated case and that many traders are professional. 

Also read: Opportunities in meat sector ‘untapped’

Not too far away from the holding area, the air is heavy with the sweet aroma of roasted beef, enough to make anyone hungry. Vendors outside the butcheries lined on the roadway beckon customers to pop in for a taste. Some offer to show clients the best quality meat at the best price, but Katherine gives me advice that is especially valuable for newcomers.

"These are brokers and must get their cut; they will often hike prices, especially for newbies, so it is advisable if you want the best rates, especially when buying on wholesale, to have direct contact with sellers like me."

Changing careers to self-employment has had a positive impact on Katherine. She appreciates mostly the freedom she has gained. Except for the early hours, it has really been a win. She can now attend school meetings, which was difficult before, and she gets to spend more time with her children. With the extra time on her hands, she is also able to pursue other interests. In the next few years, she hopes to diversify her trade.

"I would like to be a cattle seller instead of a beef seller, it is low risk compared to what I do now. If you do not sell, you can always sell the next day, unlike meat, which is highly perishable. I also hope to have a bigger client base to maximise sales. I currently supply to some schools and hospitals; it is my prayer that in the coming years I will expand that as well." 

For anyone who is interested in trying out the meat business, her advice is simple: "Keep an open mind, making money here is as easy as losing it. You will have good days and bad days and that is one thing you should be mentally prepared for, if you want to do this job."

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