The government will begin a planned mass vaccination targeting 22 million cattle and 50 million goats next week, even as four counties were placed in quarantine over the deadly foot and mouth disease.
Full quarantine is on in the counties of Kakamega, West Pokot, and Trans Nzoia, while a provisional quarantine—where there are suspected cases, but awaiting laboratory confirmation--is currently in effect in Nandi, with new reports emerging of possible outbreaks in Meru region.
Besides foot and mouth disease, President William Ruto wants the livestock vaccinated gainst Peste Des Petitts (PPR), both highly contagious trans-boundary diseases that the government fears might lead to the death of millions of cows and goats and lock Kenya out of the export markets including oil-rich Gulf states.
The mass vaccination, which had faced opposition and became a subject of political discussions, comes at a time the Kenya Veterinary Association insists its questions on the plan—including on vaccine production, personnel to administer the jabs, and questions whether the public was involved enough—have not been answered.
Director of Veterinary Services Dr Allan Azegele says with the threat of diseases, the mass vaccination cannot wait any longer.
"The situation has been exacerbated by the ongoing dry spell, which has forced increased livestock movement in search of pasture. This is a trans-boundary animal disease that causes significant losses to farmers and interferes with trade both within the country and internationally," Dr Azegele explained.
The impact is particularly severe in Nandi, where approximately twelve livestock markets across four sub-counties have been closed, with similar restrictions in other affected areas.
"The Nandi (and the three counties) quarantine is provisional. We received the information last month and we are in close collaboration on the interventions we undertake. A quarantine lasts for as long as necessary until we confirm the absence of the disease, and so far, none of those affected counties have reported the absence of FMD," Dr Azegele adds.
The economic stakes are high, with Dr Azegele estimating that the country risks losing up to 500 million US dollars in both domestic and international trade opportunities if the disease isn't effectively controlled.
"When an outbreak is reported, the impact is more severe on dairy farmers as they cannot sell their milk during outbreaks. Beef producers also cannot access markets when a quarantine is enforced. There is also no movement of livestock and livestock products because if you get them out of the quarantine area, what happens is that you are spreading the disease. This is similar to what we saw when we had the COVID situation," said Dr Azegele.
Foot and Mouth Disease is one of the most economically devastating livestock diseases in Kenya, spreading fast from animal to animal.
The virus affects cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs, causing fever, blisters in the mouth and on feet, leading to severe productivity losses. While rarely fatal in adult animals, the disease can cause high mortality in young livestock and leads to significant drops in milk production.
"We have access to the UAE market, we have access to the EU market, and we are working on accessing the USA market," Dr Azegele noted.
However, he pointed out that Kenyan products currently sell at $9 per kilo on international shelves, compared to $12 from competitors, representing a substantial loss in potential revenue.
"When we are at the table seeking these agreements, and we want to get our livestock products to these markets, we are told you have FMD. So we have to vaccinate if we want to get into these markets."
The vaccination campaign, set to begin next week in Laikipia County, is part of a broader strategy to achieve disease-free status.
The initiative will be implemented at the county level, with County Directors of Veterinary Services (CDVSs) playing a crucial role in its execution.
"The CDVSs are the frontline soldiers because they are responsible for disease control at the county level. The success or failure of this exercise lies in their hands," Dr Azegele emphasised.
The initiative has faced some initial resistance from veterinary professionals, primarily due to concerns about stakeholder consultation.
Last year, the Kenya Veterinary Association put out a strongly worded statement saying there was no need for mass vaccination.
Dr Azegele says these issues were addressed through extensive discussions with the Kenya Veterinary Association, including a four-hour webinar attended by 438 veterinarians, and at the end of it all, everyone was on the same page.
But the Kenya Veterinary Association says it has not changed its stance, and that it still stands by its statement.
"We told the government the rollout of the programme was hasty and our members at the time had no idea about the programme and only read about it in the papers," the chairman, Dr Kelvin Osore, said.
"We reached out to the Director of Veterinary Services for a meeting and they walked us through the programme. But we had suggested postponement of the exercise because we felt the government was not ready and secondly, the public was hostile. For a successful vaccination, you need to vaccinate at least 80 per cent of the livestock, but given the hostility on the ground, the government will be lucky to get a 40 per cent turn up. We demanded for a civic education calendar for the public, but they have not given it to us yet,” said Dr Osore.
The association also questioned the capabilities of Kenya Veterinary Vaccines Production Institute (Kevevapi).
“We don't feel Kevevapi has the capacity to produce the number of vaccines that the government needs. Kevevapi only produces three million vaccine doses in three months. So how will they produce 22 million doses needed for this drive?" Dr Osore posed.
The Kenya Veterinary Association’s key concern is that some counties lack cold storage facilities for any kind of vaccine and therefore have no capacity to participate in this drive.
"Other counties have serious electricity issues. We don't even have enough veterinary officers to conduct this vaccination. Why can't the government address this first? So from all our demands, they only met one; meeting our members. But our position still remains postpone this, roll out civic education, capacity build Kevevapi and hire the necessary officers. Remember we need the public to bring the animals. As long as there is no trust, the drive will fail. This lack of trust is now starting to affect any other vaccination drives, particularly from the counties. People are asking if this is that foreign vaccine," Dr Osore said.
When the government made the announcement for the mass production, it took a commanding tone, and even said that the vaccination was mandatory for all livestock farmers.
The State has since clarified that no one will be forced to vaccinate their livestock, but Dr Azegele, the Director of Veterinary Services, says the situation is dire—and that prevention is better than cure.
"We have to be proactive rather than reactive. We cannot wait for the disease because it is more expensive to respond to outbreaks," Dr Azegele stated.
He noted that as a viral disease, FMD has no specific treatment, making prevention through vaccination crucial.
Addressing recent speculation about foreign involvement in the vaccination program, Dr Azegele has maintained that this is entirely a Kenyan-driven initiative.
"The vaccines are sourced from our labs, which have been producing since 1964. We have an FMD lab in Embakasi, and every batch undergoes a second level of quality control in Ethiopia under the African Union," he clarified.
Alongside FMD, authorities are also addressing other significant livestock diseases, including Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) and Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia, particularly in beef-producing regions.
For farmers in quarantined areas, the impact of FMD extends beyond market closures.
The disease requires at least three weeks of treatment and wound management in affected animals, resulting in significant production losses and increased costs for farmers.
As the campaign prepares to roll out next week, the focus remains on achieving comprehensive coverage to establish the herd immunity necessary for effective disease control.
The vaccination is set to cost Sh21 billion in the three years it will run, with Sh4.6 billion expected to be spent this year.
