The Kenyan government has reiterated the safety of vaccines intended for a nationwide livestock vaccination campaign set to commence in January 2025.
Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development, Andrew Karanja, assured farmers of the initiative’s integrity, urging cooperation to ensure its success.
Addressing public concerns
Speaking to the media, CS Karanja emphasised the origin and proven safety of the vaccines to be used, which have been manufactured locally.
He explained the rationale behind the vaccination exercise, which aims to create a unified approach to tackling diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease and peste des petits ruminants (PPR).
What has been happening in the past is that livestock in one county are vaccinated, but in the other, they are not, and there is a lot of movement of livestock. So it becomes a waste of resources.
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The CS reassured the public that the vaccines are produced by the Kenya Veterinary Vaccines Production Institute (KEVEVAPI), which has a long-standing reputation for producing vaccines used both locally and in neighbouring countries such as Uganda.
These are safe vaccines which have been tested and tried. It is not something we are trying to get from outside to use on our animals.
President Ruto defends vaccination drive
President William Ruto has also strongly defended the programme, stating that it will enhance livestock health and increase the country’s meat export potential.
Speaking during the 4th Pastoralist Leadership Summit in Wajir County, the President criticised detractors of the initiative, arguing that their opposition is baseless.
Those opposing the programme are unreasonable and maybe they don’t have cattle. When we have a conversation about livestock, just shut up if you don’t have cattle.
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The vaccination campaign will target 22 million cattle and 50 million goats and sheep.
The President highlighted that locally produced vaccines are critical to the programme’s success, noting that the prevalence of livestock diseases has hindered Kenya’s access to international meat markets.
For the avoidance of doubt, the vaccines we are using are produced by Kenyans. We have a large production of vaccines in Kenya, some of which we supply to other countries.
Supporting pastoralists
The President also addressed broader challenges faced by pastoralist communities, such as insecurity and poverty.
He announced government interventions to modernise police equipment and combat drought in arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs).