The Kenya Veterinary Association has called on the government to suspend the planned vaccination of livestock to allow public participation.
The government plans to vaccinate nearly 22 million cattle across the country with President William Ruto saying the move will boost the quality of milk and meat exports.
The government has announced that the vaccination will start in January amid resistance from a section of livestock farmers who have vowed to defy the directive.
Weighing in on the issue, KVA argued that they were not consulted during its development.
In a statement on Tuesday, KVA National Chairman Kelvin Osore said that concerns raised by the government on controlling greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are not a priority.
He said Kenyans should be given adequate time to be sensitised on the matter.
Osore demanded transparency on the diseases being targeted, the rationale behind the vaccination, and the identity of the programme's sponsors.
“There was no stakeholders' engagement. We were not involved after the programme received controversy from the public. We were not involved in the conception and along the way. The government just rushed to us recently,” Osore said.
KVA said that the government’s failure to conduct adequate public sensitisation has fuelled widespread resistance and misinformation among livestock keepers and the general public.
"This situation not only hampers disease control but also risks creating further outbreaks. Stakeholders, including farmers, veterinary professionals, and community leaders, were not sufficiently involved in planning, leading to mistrust and confusion, including in professional circles,'' Osore said.
Additionally, KVA called on the government to tone down its string rebuff of issues raised by farmers and other stakeholders in its push to force the vaccination down the throats of Kenyans.
They said several critical questions remain unanswered, adding that Kenyans deserve to know which diseases the vaccination targets, how long the program will run, and who is funding it.
“The programme has a lot of misinformation. We as the veterinary association have tried to get more information from the government - so far, nothing. We don’t know how long it will run.”
The association further argues that some of the diseases identified by the government are localised and do not justify a nationwide vaccination campaign.
“A vaccination should be tailored for specific regions. You can't vaccinate foot and mouth across the whole country; there are specific areas. Let them vaccinate specific areas. These diseases are not widespread across the country. On greenhouse emissions, as an association, we cannot prove those allegations on curbing emissions,” Osore said.
“We reiterate that as a matter of principle, KVA fully supports efforts to control livestock diseases such as Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD), Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) through sustained and strategic vaccination campaigns.”
KVA called for the suspension of the programme and asked the government to prioritise addressing other pressing issues affecting the livestock sector before allocating funds to the vaccination initiative.
“The government needs to pause the whole programme. It’s a pity that even a professional organisation like ours doesn’t know what is happening,” Osore said.
According to the government, some 22 million cattle, 50 million goats, sheep, and small livestock are targeted in the planned vaccination exercise.
