Kirinyaga county trains livestock farmers on animal diseases

Kirinyaga County Government has launched a campaign for livestock farmers to prevent, detect, and manage foot and mouth and lumpy skin diseases.

Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru says the initiative is part of an ongoing dairy sector development programme that seeks to increase milk production and earn farmers more money.

She said the diseases pose a threat to the dairy sector, and farmers need to be trained on prevention, detection and proper management of livestock.

“We have been working on concerted efforts including rolling out subsidised Artificial Insemination (AI) services and offering subsidised animal feeds to farmers to improve breeds and increase milk production,” Waiguru said.

Expert veterinarians and agricultural extension officers are leading training sessions on various ailments—anthrax, rift valley fever, rabies, and black quarter to provide practical advice to farmers.

County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Agriculture, Livestock, Veterinary, and Fisheries John Gachara said the training comes in the wake of an outbreak of the two diseases, which has since been contained.

“Farmers report cases of lumpy skin disease and foot and mouth disease due to inadequate knowledge on prevention and detection,” he said.

Gachara said private practitioners, government veterinary officers and officials from dairy cooperatives have also been trained.

They are to help farmers respond and take swift action on diseases once they break out.

“The county government, together with stakeholders in dairy farming, has been able to develop a livestock farmer education programme that is being conducted across all wards by extension officers,” Gachara said.

The CECM said the county is a transit point for livestock coming from Eastern and North Eastern Kenya and is prone to diseases like foot and mouth.

Livestock farmers praised the initiative, saying it will help manage their livestock better to prevent them from acquiring diseases.

“I have learned a lot about how to spot early signs of livestock disease and the steps to take if my animals have the symptoms.

"This is what we needed considering  I have spent a lot of money treating diseases while I could have used Ksh100 when the county veterinary officers were doing mass vaccination,” Joseph Munyi said.

Muriuki Magondu, another livestock farmer, said he is now better equipped with knowledge on how to deal with the diseases and his herd.