North-eastern08 June 2026 - 05:00

Mandera vaccinates livestock to safeguard pastoralist livelihoods

The intervention is intended to enhance community resilience

by STEPHEN ASTARIKO

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The Mandera Veterinary Services department has launched a 15-day livestock vaccination and treatment campaign targeting thousands of animals across the county.

The exercise, carried out in partnership with the Racida Hanano Programme and funded by Irish aid through Concern Worldwide, targets Mandera East, Mandera North and Banisa-Kiliwehiri subcounties.

It aims to enhance livestock health and safeguard the livelihoods of pastoral communities, which largely rely on livestock production as their primary source of income.

Under the campaign, veterinary teams aim to vaccinate 112,500 sheep and goats against Peste des Petits Ruminants, deworm 120,000 livestock against internal parasites, spray about 5,000 camels against ticks and provide treatment for various livestock infections.

The initiative will also include farmer sensitisation programmes on zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance and disease prevention measures.

Speaking during the launch, Agriculture executive Barre Shabure said the intervention is intended to enhance community resilience.

"We encourage all livestock owners to participate in large numbers so they can fully benefit from the services being offered during this exercise," Shabure said.

The campaign comes as Mandera County continues efforts to rebuild its livestock sector following the devastating 2022–23 drought, which resulted in massive livestock losses and dealt a significant blow to the local economy.

Mandera Governor Mohamed Adan Khalif reaffirmed his administration's commitment to investing in the livestock sector, describing it as the backbone of the county's economy.

"Mandera people are predominantly pastoralists. This makes livestock the backbone of our economy," he said during a recent function.

"For that reason, we will continue allocating adequate resources to boost the sector and improve the livelihoods of our people."

The governor said his administration has implemented several measures to cushion pastoralists against future shocks, including facilitating the registration of livestock keepers under the livestock insurance programme.

He recalled that the prolonged drought of 2022-23 caused livestock deaths valued at about Sh11 billion, severely affecting households that rely on livestock production.

"Despite the setback, the county did not despair. We stood firm, joined hands and sought external support to ensure our people remained hopeful as we continued rebuilding their livelihoods," he said.

Khalif said the county has made significant progress in restoring the livestock sector through extensive vaccination campaigns that have immunised thousands of animals against major livestock diseases.

"To strengthen disease monitoring and response, capacity-building initiatives saw 26 technical staff trained in participatory epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance," the governor said.

"While 60 community disease reporters were equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to enhance disease surveillance across the county."

County officials expressed optimism that the ongoing vaccination and treatment campaign will further reduce disease prevalence, improve livestock productivity and strengthen food security and household incomes among pastoral communities.

The exercise is expected to reach thousands of livestock owners across the targeted subcounties over the next two weeks, contributing to the county's broader efforts to build a resilient and sustainable livestock sector.