More than 187,000 livestock in Trans Nzoia are earmarked for a three-month mass foot-and-mouth disease vaccination exercise rolled out by the county government in partnership with the National Agricultural Value Chain Development Project, at a cost of Sh18 million.
The exercise, which is being implement in all the 25 wards of Trans Nzoia targets the use of digital vouchers for farmers to access subsidized vaccination services in a shared cost plan.
“We are committed to controlling the spread of foot-and-mouth disease in this county. We are working hand-in-hand with agripreneurs and veterinary officers,” said Phanice Khatundi, the County Executive Committee Member for Agriculture and Irrigation.
Trans Nzoia County Commissioner Gideon Oyagi said the NAVCDP programme will cater for Sh110 of the vaccination cost, while farmers will contribute Sh50 through an e-voucher system, an approach aimed at enhancing transparency, accountability, and accessibility of the service.
The vaccination initiative has been supported by Mifugo Link, a technology-based organization working closely with the government to help farmers track livestock health and vaccination status through innovative solutions such as animal muzzle scanning.
Evans Mbugua, an officer at Mifugo Link, explained that each animal is given a unique identifier, much like a human fingerprint, which helps track where the animal has been, monitor its health, and prevent issues like fraud.
“Animal muzzle scanning works by assigning a unique ID to each animal. This data is updated in real time, allowing us to track the vaccination status and health of cattle across counties,” Mbugua said.
Mbugua’s team is gradually rolling out the program to other counties, and within a month, they plan to extend the vaccination initiative to include goats and other livestock.
While there have been challenges in synchronizing data between the scanning technology and government systems, Mbugua remains optimistic about the future of livestock management.
The technology will not only improve vaccination tracking but also ensure better disease surveillance and management.
The Sub-County Veterinary Officer for Saboti and Kiminini sub-counties, Dr. Francis Olunga, emphasized the importance of vaccination as part of a broader effort to address Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD).
“Foot and mouth disease is a major challenge in Trans Nzoia County. It has a significant impact on milk production and disrupts livestock trade. When an outbreak occurs, we have to quarantine areas and close markets, which severely affects our local economy,” Dr. Olunga said.
He added that the vaccination initiative would help reduce disease outbreaks and open doors for exports of livestock products to international markets, including the Middle East and Europe.
“The virus that causes Foot and Mouth Disease spreads rapidly, affecting cattle, goats, sheep, and pigs. It’s crucial to vaccinate our cattle not only to prevent further outbreaks but to improve our ability to access foreign markets,” Dr. Olunga explained.
Peter Sikolia, a farmer at Botwa village in Cherang’any constituency, expressed the struggles faced by the farming community.
Sikolia described the challenges brought on by the outbreak of lumpy skin disease which claimed lives of of some of his animals.
“Lumpy skin disease is particularly dangerous, and while foot and mouth disease can be treated, lumpy skin disease can cause lasting damage to cattle health and productivity,” he said.
To address the spread of the disease, the county government has also ordered lumpy skin disease vaccines worth Sh5 million to be rolled out in January.
