The transformation of pastoral livestock farming systems is a policy focus for national and county governments in Kenya, intended to enhance the economy of livestockdependent regions, where significant portions of the population continue to experience severe food, income, and nutritional insecurity. This study, focusing on Turkana County, aimed to (i) delineate livestock production and marketing systems; (ii) compare Turkana's livestock production and marketing with other arid regions in the Horn of Africa; (iii) evaluate the impact of market and non-market factors on livestock production and trade in dryland areas; and (iv) propose a strategic framework to enhance the viability, competitiveness, and sustainability of livestock sector initiatives in pastoral and dryland regions. Exploratory and descriptive study designs were utilised, including a mixed-methods approach to examine the transformational aspects of pastoral economy and industry. The study was conducted in Loima, Turkana East, and Turkana North sub-counties of Turkana, with 210 study participants selected statistically from 12 livestock-producing zones and markets. The study demonstrated the importance of the adverse impacts of social, economic, political, environmental, technological, and ethical factors on livestock production and marketing in arid regions. The failure of livestock herders, traders, and development partners to effectively mitigate these effects results in the stagnation of livestock development opportunities. To sustainably address the intrinsic impacts of these market and non-market factors, the study advocates for the enhancement of breeds and genetics, the adoption of efficient and sustainable market-orientated livestock farming systems, the facilitation of local traders' access to capital for business financing to augment livestock trade volumes, and the improvement of logistics and market infrastructure, all supported by technology. Strengthened relationships between local and external markets, traders, and herders; augmented governmental and civil society financial allocations for the livestock sector, including the enhancement of accountability processes; tackling supply and demand-related risks through robust and effective mitigation strategies; and formulation of a livestock policy that supports drylands livestock and economic development to sustain the benefits from remedial investments improve livestock sector performance. The study delineates regional patterns in pastoral livestock farming, the resilience of livestock keepers and traders, market accessibility, development methods, and banking solutions for dry regions as areas for future research.