One day in 2021 I looked out the living room window of my apartment and saw a herd of cattle grazing in a nearby field. At first I thought the cattle belonged to nomadic herders passing through, which would not be an unusual thing in my home city of Nairobi. My curiosity grew when I saw the herd several times in the following weeks. Over time I got to know the owners and some of the workers, who graciously allowed me to photograph them and their livestock.
The cattle owners buy the bulls when the animals are relatively young and fatten them with the aim of selling them during the Eid El Adha celebrations.
The owners are squatters on public land, and therefore they have limited space. The cattle are penned in cramped spaces or tethered.
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The cattle’s diet comprises vegetable scraps, leftovers of fruit processing, and commercial feed.
Once in a while the cattle are let out of their pens to graze.
On this particular day, this herd had been let out to drink water from a rain pond.
In the background is a makeshift shelter for workers.
The authorities demolished the makeshift accommodation due to some problems with the squatters. Some people decided to hang on until they could sell their cattle and move on.
Some of the owners are young people starting out in business or doing this as a side hustle.
