Special Beef Retailing at Sh20,000 Per Kilogram in Nairobi

Details have emerged after a photo of a kilogram of meat retailing at Sh20,000 in Nairobi went viral on social media.

The picture shared on a popular Facebook group recently left Kenyans online wondering what is so special about the meat that it costs that much per kilogram.

Mwakilishi.com has learned that the meat is a special type of Japanese beef known as Wagyu, which is the most highly prized beef in the world.

There are four main cow breeds used for Wagyu production in Japan, namely Kuroge, Akage, Nihon Tankakon, and Mukaku.

Wagyu has intramuscular fat cells distributed evenly throughout their muscle, which makes it very tender. It is considered high-end beef due to its exceptional marbling, superior tenderness, and exquisite flavor.

The steak contains the highest amount of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) per gram of any foodstuff—about 30 percent more than other beef breeds.

The rearing method is what makes this beef expensive. Wagyu cows are usually raised by the breeder until they are 40 weeks old when they are sold to a fattening farm.

In the fattening farm, they are fed high-energy concentrate like rice, wheat, and hay, until they are 50 percent fat. These feeds are also expensive.

The Japanese government has tight regulations on the production of Wagyu to maintain its quality.

In Kenya, the beef is only sold in high-end butcheries at 20,000 per kilogram or higher.