The Kenya Veterinary Vaccines Production Institute (Kevevapi) is ready to kick off vaccination of livestock from January, a senior official has said.

Kevevapi board of directors Chairperson Professor Kimathi Kigatiira said they had mapped all the areas where the vaccinations will be done, starting with ‘priority areas’.

Prof Kigatiira who is also the head of School of Medicine at Mount Kenya University (MKU) said their vaccines production facility had the capacity to cover all livestock in the country, thus eliminating the need to import any.

Speaking in North Imenti in Meru County at the weekend Kigatiira in urging Kenyans to support the exercise, underlined the importance of the vaccination to the country’s economy and communities.

He assured Kenyans that the vaccines are safe as he dismissed sentiments expressed by a section of leaders who had expressed suspicion that the vaccination was fronted by foreign forces keen to introduce Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO), saying it was tantamount to spreading misinformation.

“As Kevevapi, we produce all the livestock vaccines in the country. There are no vaccines from out of Kenya. We don’t have foreigners doing it,” he said.

Kigatiira said the body exports some vaccines to some African countries as he dispelled rumours that they plan to introduce foreign vaccines into the country.

“We have no intention, at all, to source any vaccines from outside, because we have all that we need,” he assured.

Kigatiira said in implementing President William Ruto’s directive to have mass vaccination of livestock, the don said since gaps existed in the counties where devolved units were implementing development projects based on their priorities.

“We realised there was no harmony and there was risk of diseases spreading.”

Kigatiira said livestock keeping was a major contributor to Kenya’s economic development hence the need to take preventive measures, which were cheaper as opposed to curative.

“Livestock production is very key in Kenya. The biggest part of Kenya is not arable and livestock keeping is key activity,” he stated.

“We have mapped the priority areas which will enable us to cover those areas, as we spread to all other parts.”

Unfortunately, he said, it was noted that livestock production was threatened by diseases.

“We realised the production was reducing and it is what informed the president, in his wisdom, to issue the mass vaccination directive.”

He added; “We are going to kick off with 22m cattle and 50m goats and sheep. As Kevevapi, we are prepared with all the vaccines, to start in January. It is a priority for us.”

“Our aim is to vaccinate all animals in Kenya but we are going to start with 22m cattle and 50m goats and sheep.’

Additionally, he said the vaccination of the livestock will help in preventing the risk of zonootic diseases that are transmitted from the livestock to humans.

“When animals are healthy they cannot transmit the diseses they sometimes have to humans.”

Separately, Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza said the devolved unit had partnered with the giant Meru Dairy Cooperative Union in a vaccination exercise, where at least 130,000 cattle had been vaccinated, so far.

“Ours is door to door. We have vaccinated over 130,000,” said Governor Mwangaza.

The devolved unit is also vaccinating cats, dogs and poultry.