- Veterinary services play an essential role in preventing and controlling the spread of disease, which can have a major impact on animal and human health.
- Neglecting veterinary services can lead to an increase in the spread of zoonotic (animal-human) diseases, which poses a dangerous public health risk.
Image: ALPHONCE GARI
Veterinarians are alarmed over the increase in rabies and anthrax in the country.
This comes at a time vets are on a 60-day strike citing poor pay, inadequate personnel and lack of a collective bargaining agreement among other issues.
On January 10, the Union of Veterinary Practitioners Kenya issued a 60-day strike notice to the employers of the State Department of Livestock and the 47 county governments.
The notice was copied to the Principal Secretary in the State Department of Livestock, Council of Governors, governors, County Public Service Boards, CS Labour and Social Protection and to the Central Organisation of Trade Union.
The vets, led by the their union secretary general Dr Miheso Mulembani, said veterinary practitioners play a crucial role of protecting Kenyans against deadly animal pathogens like the current anthrax outbreak in Kisii county and rabies which has been reported in Nakuru county.
“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," he said.
"Equally, we mourn with the people of Kericho & Kisii counties who have either lost their lives, their body parts maimed or still hospitalised after consuming uninspected meat.”
Mulembani said veterinary services in Kenya are key in protecting human and animal health, yet it is on the verge of collapse.
He added that vets have been overworked and underpaid across the national and county governments.
“For example, from 2013 to date, 67 percent of the entire veterinary workforce across the two levels of government have retired with no replacement being done. We have had practitioners suffer disabling injuries without any work Injury benefits paid to them," Mulembani said.
"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.”
The vet said if unchecked, rabies will kill more Kenyans in the year 2023 than before.
Dr David Kibaria, a veterinary officer, said neglected veterinary services in Kenya can lead to a number of dangers for both the livestock population and the people who depend on them.
One major danger is the spread of disease. He said without proper veterinary care, diseases can easily spread among the livestock population, leading to reduced productivity, increased mortality and economic losses for farmers.
“Additionally, zoonotic diseases can be spread from animals to humans, posing a significant public health risk. Another danger is the impact on food security. A decline in the health and productivity of the livestock population can result in a decrease in the availability of meat, milk and other animal products, which can have a negative impact on the food security of the country,” Kibaria said.
He added that a lack of veterinary services can also lead to an overpopulation of stray animals, which can lead to issues such as increased traffic accidents, damage to crops and property, and the spread of disease.
“Overall, a neglected veterinary service in Kenya can have serious consequences for the economy, food security, public health, and the welfare of both animals and humans,” he said.
Mulembani said so far there has been no intervention from the government.
Livestock PS Harry Kimtai did not respond to our calls and text messages.
(edited by Amol Awuor)