Kang’ataruk (Turkwel), June 14 2025 (Public Communications and Media Relations)
The County Government through Integrated Emergency Drought Response Project (IEDRP) implemented by Turkana Pastoralist Development Organization (TUPADO) and International Rescue Committee (IRC), has extended targeted vaccination and supportive treatment drive to Kang’ataruk and other villages in the lower belt of Loima Sub-county.
Lotoom Eiton, an elder at Kang’ataruk village acknowledges, “this is for the first time this village will have its livestock vaccinated and treated against various diseases which have significantly impacted their livelihood.”
However, Eitom asked the government to target and deploy Community Animal Disease Reporters (CADRs) to outreaches such as Kang’ataruk village to overcome challenges resulting from livestock diseases in the unreached areas.
His neighbour, Nanok Ekal, residing in the same village, did not hide his joy after all of his livestock were fully vaccinated and the sickly treated for the first time by veterinary doctors taking part in the campaign.
“We are grateful to our government and its partners who have brought this service closer to us. We felt forgotten, as we have since lost our livestock to stubborn livestock diseases like lumpy skin, Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR), Mange and those transmitted by a bite of a tick.”
Speaking during the vaccination, the Deputy Director of Veterinary Services, Erenius Nakadio said the targeted vaccination and treatment campaign in Turkwel, Loima is part of the bigger plan of the county’s commitment to scale up the campaign to one million livestock a year.
“This is reflective of the government’s broader plan of kicking out livestock diseases by scaling up the targeted vaccination and supportive treatment to a full mass vaccination of livestock with partners targeting one million livestock across the county,” he stated.
In addition, Dr Nakadio lauded the seamless collaboration with TUPADO that has so far seen over 20000 livestock vaccinated and treated in Kang’ataruk village in six days. He hoped that at the end of the 10-day exercise, more than 30000 sheep and goats would have been vaccinated.
This follows a similar exercise conducted by County Government and TUPADO in Lokichar and Kalapata wards in May, 2025 where more than 25000 sheep and goats were also vaccinated and treated.
“TUPADO appreciates the valuable contribution offered by the County Government through the Veterinary Department. So far under this project, we’ve vaccinated and treated more than 110,000 livestock in both Loima and Turkana South Sub- counties,” remarks Echom Simon, who is TUPADO’s Project Coordinator.
He reiterated that the partnership between TUPADO and the County Government is founded on community priorities and especially in critical sectors of human and animal health.
