OLDONYIRO, Kenya—On a Tuesday morning at the Oldonyiro livestock market in November, Samaria Leyagu was doing what just a few years ago would have been unthinkable for a woman from her tribe: She was shopping for a goat.
Leyagu examined her options carefully, pausing at a skinny creature with black and tan fur. “5,000 shillings,” its owner said—just under $50. Leyagu picked up the goat, feeling its weight in her arms. A goat this thin was not worth 5,000 shillings. “2,500,” she countered. The owner shook his head. The market was not in Leyagu’s favor. Overnight rains prevented many would-be sellers from making the journey to the market, flooding it with eager buyers. She would return again the next week, when prices might be more reasonable.
