•Veterinary Practitioners play the crucial role of protecting Kenyans against deadly animal pathogens like the current anthrax outbreak in Kisii County.
•Mulembani, however, warns that the veterinary services in the country which are key in protecting human and animal health are on the verge of collapse.
Veterinary professionals in the country on Tuesday issued a 60-day strike notice to their employers.
Union of Veterinary Practitioners, Kenya Secretary General Dr Miheso Mulembani said in a statement that they issued the notice to the State Department of Livestock and the 47 County Governments.
This, he said, is meant to guarantee public food safety and avoid our practitioners being blamed for Veterinary Public Health-associated deficiencies.
“It is shocking and disheartening to see Kenyans eating dog meat because the country lacks the veterinary manpower to inspect and ascertain the quality of meat across the country. Equally, we mourn with the people of Kericho and Kisii Counties who have either lost their lives, their body parts maimed or are still hospitalized after consuming uninspected meat,” Mulembani said.
Veterinary Practitioners play the crucial role of protecting Kenyans against deadly animal pathogens like the current anthrax outbreak in Kisii County.
Mulembani, however, warns that the veterinary services in the country which are key in protecting human and animal health are on the verge of collapse.
“Our practitioners have been overworked and underpaid across the national and County Governments. For example, from 2013 to date, 67 per cent of the entire veterinary workforce across the two levels of government has retired with no replacement being done,” he said.
He said they have had practitioners suffer disabling injuries without any Work Injury benefits paid to them.
“The approach by counties to work in Silos and without the central national command is facilitating the spread of killer pathogens such as anthrax and rabies. If unchecked, rabies will kill more Kenyans in the year 2023 than before,” he warned.
The professionals have given authorities fresh demands.
Mulembani said the shortage of Veterinary Doctors and Veterinary Paraprofessionals across Kenya is a ticking time –bomb.
“The Veterinary Practitioners undertaking surveillance and clearances at our border points and reference laboratories have been overworked without any extraneous allowances being paid to them. Equally, this applies to practitioners manning our counties and sub-counties, those in institutions of higher learning and those undertaking the veterinary public health through inspection and assurance of meat for public consumption and export,” he said.
Mulembani said the State Department of Livestock has a shortfall of about 1000 Veterinary practitioners while counties have an estimated shortfall of 20,000 Veterinary Surgeons and Veterinary Paraprofessional shortfall.
This, he said, must be addressed immediately.
Mulembani said the last promotion of the few existing veterinary practitioners in service was the year 2012 way before the start of devolution.
He said the promotion of existing cadres of veterinary staff must be undertaken as a matter of priority.
Mulembani also cited poor pay, and extraneous and risk allowances.
This, he said, is despite the practitioners being overworked and exposed to life-threatening viruses as the first line of defence for animal and human health.
Mulembani said there has been a programmed approach by the government through the Salaries and Remuneration Commission to deny our practitioners the right to fair compensation.
“Our lecturers at the institutions of higher learning get exposed to dangerous pathogens while teaching new doctors and paraprofessionals. Unless the issue of the compensation and the allowances of meat inspectors, practitioners in the teaching fraternity, and practitioners in disease surveillance and prevention is urgently addressed, we wish to inform our secondary school heads, hospitals supervisors, hotel managers, meat joints, butcheries and the general public to make alternative arrangements of sourcing meat as our services may be unavailable in the shortest time possible,” he said.
Mulembani said the Veterinary and animal health Graduates were also languishing in villages without posting by the State Department of Livestock.
He said this was uncalled for at a time when there is an extreme shortage of practitioners.
“Our practitioners cannot continue to get indebted in loans for the purpose of professional post-graduate training crucial in protecting animal and human health.”
Mulembani urged the State Department of Livestock to immediately post the interns and work with the union to set aside a fund necessary to foot the postgraduate training of their practitioners.
He also pointed out that the State Department of Livestock and some county Public Service Boards particularly the Taita Taveta County have been unwilling to sign a Recognition Agreement with the Union.
“This amounts to a denial of rights to our members as enshrined in the constitution and the Labor Relations Act, 2007,” he said.
The union want the employers -the State Department of Livestock and 47 County Governments to ensure that the already deposited recognition agreements are signed as soon as possible for purposes of negotiating a CBA and further that the remittances of union dues are guaranteed.
Mulembani said UVPK remains committed and available to engage the employer at any day and time.