The latter is the case for the informal
livestock trade that helps feed the growing demand for meat products in the region’s
large urban markets, especially Nairobi, Kenya (see Little 2003). Unfortunately,
politically-charged arguments for controlling borders dictate that trade in agricultural
and other benign products usually are conflated with harmful commerce in weapons and
illicit drugs. Official concerns about informal trans-border trade definitely grew after
11 September 2001, which changed the policy dialogue surrounding the activity.