Eleven villages in Silale ward of Tiaty East have benefited from 166 knapsack sprayers donated by the county government for use in the fight against common diseases caused by pests in Baringo.
Among the villages that received the sprayers include Nalekat, Akwichatis, Natan and Nadome among others.
Distributing the knapsacks at Nalekat market centre, Livestock Officer Lily Rotich said that the county administration offered the sprayers to boost veterinary services in the region which has a large population of livestock and is prone to tick borne diseases.
The officer accompanied by area MCA Nelson Lotela and ward administrator Rhoda Lokwari said that the sprayers were easy to carry along as residents move from one area to another in search of pasture and water.
She added that the Knapsack sprayers were more economical in water usage compared to the use of cattle dips in an area that experiences acute water shortages year in year out due to prolonged drought.
Mr Lotela thanked the county government for the generous donation and assured residents that the administration of Governor Stanley Kiptis is committed to eradicate tick borne diseases prevalent in the area like ticks, Foot and Mouth and contagious ones like Peste des Petitis Ruminants (PPR) responsible for mass deaths in animals.
The MCA reiterated that spraying of livestock was the only sure way of controlling pests such as tsetse flies affecting the animals in the arid and semi-arid sub county.
Ward administrator Rhoda Lokwari asked residents to be more careful on the usage of pesticides to avoid harming the animals citing a recent case where a herder sprayed the family herd with an overdose of a chemical killing more than ten cows.
Daniel Loktari, a beneficiary, lauded the initiative by county government saying it will go a long way to improve livestock production in the area.
“This is a good initiative by the county administration as it will boost production of animals in Tiaty since animal diseases will reduce,” he said.
Loktari urged the county government to help local livestock keepers in the region upgrade their local breeds through purchasing Sahiwal bulls and bucks to improve milk and meat production.
By Stanley Kitili and Joshua Kibet
