Lodwar, March 18, 2024 (Public Communications and Media Relations)

The County Directorate of Veterinary Services and WeltHungerHilfe Kenya (WHH) convened a review meeting to assess the progress made during the mass livestock vaccination exercise conducted in Turkana West and Loima Sub-counties.

The review meeting sought to establish the shortcomings of the exercise, point out possible interventions as well as explore areas of improvement.

The Ag. Deputy Director for Veterinary Services, Dr Erenious Nakadio, appreciated WHH for supporting the activity which he said has seen 83,677 Livestock vaccinated and treated benefitting 651 households.

Director Nakadio also called for a new approach to future interventions on livestock diseases which he said will significantly reduce livestock diseases.

“There is a need to integrate Tsetse fly control in vaccination drives especially in borderline areas of the County to curb the attacks before they spread all over the County,” he said.

We also need to sensitize the pastoralist community on embracing the innovations and technology of combating Tsetse fly invasion. He added

WHH Project Coordinator Phillip Ewoton said that they will partner with the County Government to explore ways of conducting frequent and expansive mass vaccination exercises in the County.

He also emphasized the need for training local herders on the construction of makeshift crush pens as a short-term measure since it is an essential infrastructure during vaccination for the safety of both livestock and Veterinary officers.

This review forms a basis for how the County Government will operate its Livestock Vaccination activity to effectively achieve over 80 percent of vaccination coverage as well as build on herd immunity.