A Baringo family defies livestock keeping norms, finds fortune in monitor lizards and tortoises

A family in mogotio,Baringo county has defied convention, transforming what many considered a curse into a lucrative business. Joseph Kiprono and his sons, Moses and Andrew, have embarked on a unique venture: commercial farming of monitor lizards and tortoises. This audacious move, initially met with fear and suspicion, is now turning heads and even earning praise from wildlife officials. Joseph Kiprono's journey began with a conservationist's heart. Witnessing the brutal treatment of tortoises, deemed crop-destroying pests by his community, he sought a permit from the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) to protect them. "Farmers would turn the tortoises upside down until they died," Joseph recalls. "I wanted to save them." Over a decade, he amassed a remarkable collection of over 3,000 tortoises.

However, it was his son, Moses, who introduced the more controversial element: monitor lizards. Inspired by his grandfather, whose name translates to "monitor lizard" in the Kalenjin language, Moses saw an opportunity where others saw only a threat. "It was a passion, just like any other career choice," he explains.