Tread carefully on plan to vaccinate livestock
While President William Ruto has had to come out and defend a plan to vaccinate 21 million cattle and 50 million small animals, including sheep and goats, there are some sharp differences on this matter that cannot just be glossed over.
The President may tell off critics, but this will not end the doubts that have arisen. And it boils down to the lack of public participation to create awareness on the real reasons behind this massive drive. Some people are suspicious about its origin and the real intentions.
For a country that has excelled in agricultural and livestock research, it is rather curious that the vaccination campaign appears to be driven by the political leaders and not the scientific experts. One would have expected the Kenya Veterinary Vaccines Production Institute and the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (Kalro) to be at the forefront of this one.
According to President Ruto, the initiative is essential to create a disease-free environment and enhance access to international markets for Kenyan livestock products. Vaccinating livestock on a big scale, he argues, will not only ensure healthy herds, but will also improve export potential.
The question some are asking is whether this is an externally driven plan and concerns have been raised about possible adverse consequences. Also, does the country have the capacity to immediately roll it out? The President says the vaccination programme is necessary to combat foot-and-mouth disease and other animal illnesses. He has dismissed those opposing the campaign as “simply misguided and unreasonable and possibly stupid”.
He was responding to opposition leaders, including Wiper Party boss Kalonzo Musyoka, who suspect the government has a sinister motive. They have urged Kenyans to reject the vaccination.
The dust has not yet settled on President Ruto’s cancellation of the shady JKIA leasing and Ketraco power transmission line contracts with Indian conglomerate Adani Group. The country should tread carefully on its mega deals so that it is not left with egg on its face again, should it turn out that even this apparently well-meaning plan may have been wrong, after all.
