Officers dispatched to fight tsetse menace in counties

Kenttec CEO Pamela Olet and Kenttec Chairman David Wanyonyi. Kenttec has urged County governments to join the fight against tsetse. 

The Kenya tsetse and trypanosomiasis eradication council (Kenntec) has dispatched more than 50 technical officers across various counties to fight resurgence of tsetse menace through spraying of animals and sensitisation on better tsetse eradication practices.

This comes after the prolonged drought caused by failed short rains which were due late last year.

“In such times, tsetse prevalence is usually very high in most affected areas; mostly transmitted as pastoralists move from place to place  looking for greener grazing grounds for their livestock,” said Kenttec Chairman David Wanyonyi.

Kenttec is involved in upgrading of livestock in areas freed of Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis through training of Artificial Insemination (AI) service providers, embryo transfer technology, sexed semen and establishment of Biofarms which in the long run is going to improve the current state of livestock and further create awareness to the larger public.

Currently, most affected areas include the coastal region and some parts of north eastern.

Wanyonyi said the government was keen to eradicate the tsetse menace in the country and urged County governments to come on board.

“We are urging the county governments to come on board since agriculture is devolved, we as Kenttec will provide expertise and personnel to guide the farmers and build capacity to ensure the tsetse menace is completely done with,” Wanyonyi said.

“Farmers need to benefit from the sensitisation and interventions we provide and we believe we have the expertise to do just that since we are the guys with the technical knowhow,” he added.

Tsetse transmitted trypanosomiasis disease is the main constraint to livestock production in some parts of Kenya, preventing the full use of land to feed the rapidly increasing human population.

Current statistics show that about 38 out of 47 counties are infested by the parasite, which is going to affect the country’s economy in the long run.

The socio-economic consequences of tsetse fly cut across important productive sectors that include human health, tourism and wildlife.