The government has announced a nationwide harmonised vaccination to tame trans-boundary livestock diseases.
Through the department of livestock, all counties will work in a coordinated exercises after it emerged that selective vaccination ventures were not working.
It has emerged that the country had lost some of its international livestock markets due to rise in diseases like Rift Valley Fever and foot and mouth.
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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 harmonise vaccinations.
“We have launched a nationwide harmonised vaccination exercise targeting livestock diseases and this will be carried out in all counties at the same time,” he said.
Speaking in Naivasha on Tuesday after meeting agriculture CEC’s from all counties and directors of veterinary services, the PS identified funding as the major challenge the exercise is facing.
“We have seen that an outbreak of livestock diseases affects our international markets 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 hence hampering the exercise.
“The national government will soon stop funding vaccination exercise as these falls under the county government and its time that they set budget for this,” he said.
The CAS in the ministry, Lawrence Angolo Omuhaka, said they were keen to work with the counties in the project.
“Currently, our livestock exports to Kuwait have been banned due to disease outbreaks but we believe that the harmonised vaccination will resolve this,” he said.