‘We must vaccinate our livestock’ – DP Kindiki
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Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has maintained that the livestock immunization exercise will have to kick off despite opposition from certain quarters.
Speaking during a consultative forum with Isiolo County leaders on Thursday, January 30, 2025, Kindiki noted that the livestock industry is critical for the Kenya-Kwanza government and that the government was making investments in the sector.
“The livestock sector is very critical for the Kenya-Kwanza government. We are making investments to make sure the sector brings wealth to as many people at the household level,” Kindiki said.
“That’s why we are insisting on the voluntary vaccination of livestock to give them the ability to withstand epidemics and also for us to work on the emerging livestock market outside the country which requires certain health standards including immunization for beef and other livestock products to enter markets in the Middle East and other parts of the world,” Kindiki observed.
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Kindiki equally noted that Kenya is a leading livestock producer in the continent and that the government is making investments to tap into the market.
“Kenya has the third-largest livestock herd in Africa behind Sudan and Somalia. With 22 million herds of cattle and 50 million small stocks including sheep and goats, we must vaccinate our livestock so that we can now start exporting livestock and livestock products everywhere in the world,” he added.
In 2024, President William Ruto said that the country would conduct a nationwide vaccination drive in 47 counties to get rid of livestock diseases.
In 2024, President William Ruto bashed a section of leaders for opposing the livestock vaccination campaign.
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Speaking on Tuesday, December 10, 2024, during the launch of the pastoralist summit, the head of state argued that the exercise aims to eliminate livestock diseases including foot-and-mouth disease (FMD).
Thus, he called on those without knowledge about livestock rearing to leave the conversation to experts.
Evil Spirits
While calling out those opposing the livestock vaccination campaign slated for next year, Ruto lamented the existence of evil spirits in the country.
He argued that the evil spirit mostly resided in the leaders whom he accused of churning out falsehoods to disparage his administration.
“There is an evil spirit in Kenya that is resident in some leaders. They churn out falsehood, they oppose everything for the sake of opposing.
Despite mounting pressure to drop the vaccination drive, Ruto vowed to soldier on. He assured the farmers that the vaccines are safe and that they are sourced locally.