Jubilee Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni has poked holes in an ambitious plan by the government to vaccinate 22 million cattle and 50 million goats and sheep from January 2025.
Kioni said it is ironic for the government to announce plans of inoculating livestock yet there are reported shortages of childhood vaccines.
“When I heard that the government is planning to vaccinate 22 million cattle, I was shocked. How come they have vaccines for cows yet children are dying at homes and in hospitals because they were not immunised,” he posed.
“Between a cow and a child, what should come first?” he asked.
He said the country loses many people because of lack of dialysis services
“When you tell us you want to vaccinate cattle and people are dying because of lack of dialysis, it means we have a government that does not care about its people,” he added.
Kioni made the remarks in Vihiga County on Saturday during the burial of Baba Mwalimu Eliud Josiah Marende, who was the father of former Speaker of the National Assembly Kenneth Marende.
Leaders at the funeral included the Cooperative Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya, DAP-K party leader Eugene Wamalwa, Vihiga senator Godfrey Osotsi, Luanda MP Dick Maungu, Kakamega deputy governor Ayub Savula and former Kiambu governor Ferdinand Waititu.
The government has promised to vaccinate all 22 million cattle in the country on January 2025.
Another 50 million sheep and goats will also be vaccinated to control livestock diseases.
In June, the Ministry of Health moved swiftly to secure critical childhood vaccines in Kenya after a shortage was reported.
The Ministry procured Measles Rubella, Oral Polio, Tetanus-Diphtheria, and BCG vaccines to address critically low levels of the medicines.
The doses included Measles Rubella 1,209,500 doses, Oral Polio Vaccines 3,032, 00 doses, tetanus-diphtheria vaccines 1,000,000 doses and BCG vaccines 3,129,000.
The doses were rapidly distributed to nine regional vaccine stores across the country.
