The government has announced a nationwide harmonized vaccination exercise in all the counties targeting trans-boundary livestock diseases.
Through the department of livestock, all counties will work in a coordinated exercise after it emerged that individual vaccination exercise was not working.
This came as it emerged that the country had lost some of its international livestock markets due to rising diseases like Rift Valley Fever and foot and mouth.
According to the PS for Livestock, Harry Kimtai, the joint exercise will be carried out by the national and county governments in a bid to address the spread of the diseases.
Kimtai noted that it had become impossible for individual counties to control livestock diseases and hence the move to harmonize vaccinations.
“We have launched a nationwide harmonized vaccination exercise targeting livestock diseases and this will be carried out in all counties at the same time,” he said.
Speaking in Naivasha after meeting all the agriculture CEC’s from the 47 counties and directors of veterinary services, the PS identified funding as the major challenge facing the exercise.
“We have seen that an outbreak of livestock diseases affects our international market due to the laid down rules and we need to address this challenge,” he said.
He noted that many counties had not set aside funds for livestock vaccination, a move that was affecting the exercise and leading to an increase in diseases.
“The national government will soon stop funding vaccination exercises as these falls under the county government and its time that they set budget for this,” he said.
On his part, the CAS in the ministry, Lawrence Angolo Omuhaka said that they were keen to work with the counties in the project.
He admitted that the livestock sector which employed millions in the country faced tons of challenges, with diseases being the top one.
“Currently our livestock exports to Kuwait have been banned due to disease outbreak but we believe that the harmonized vaccination will help resolve this,” he said.
On his part, the chairman of the CEC’s agriculture committee, Albert Mwaniki, welcomed the coordinated exercise terming the trans-boundary diseases as a threat to all counties.
Mwaniki added that counties were ready to set aside funds as one way of protecting the livestock market and increasing production in the grassroots.
“We have experienced professionals and vets who are ready to implement this joint vaccination exercise as it’s our responsibility as counties to conduct livestock vaccinations,” he said.