Meru County has received 11,000 animal vaccines from the Ministry of Agriculture that will go a long way in boosting animal health in the region.
The vaccines which were handed over to Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza by Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi came at an opportune time when the county was carrying out vaccinations of animals including cattle, goats, cows, dogs, and cats, among others.
Speaking when handing over the vaccines, Linturi said the vaccines include 2,000 for foot and mouth disease and 9,000 for lumpy skin disease.
“The Governor informed us of the programme they were undertaking, and we saw it as worthy of support since we understand how expensive it is to procure vaccines through the little county allocation,” said Linturi.
He said the vaccination was in line with the Government’s agenda to enhance livestock productivity, and more interventions to ensure the realisation of the agenda were on the way.
The CS appreciated the programme of donating dairy cows to vulnerable families by Governor Mwangaza, adding that it will play a great role in increasing milk production in the county and the country at large.
“Our priority in the livestock sector is to try to increase production of milk, and Meru is one of the leading counties in this. I urge people to support you in the programme of donating dairy cows since this will bring in more money to this county,” said Linturi.
He said the county’s veterinary department should work in partnership with the ministry to ensure the change of breed of dairy cows through sexed semen that is set to be distributed starting in December this year, as was announced by President William Ruto.
“I urge the county government to be ready for the uptake of this programme. I will issue enough doses for the county in order to ensure we have quality heifers for milk production,” said Linturi.
Other than the vaccines, the Ministry also donated two vehicles and assigned five veterinary officers to fast-track the vaccination exercise.
Mwangaza said the county government has various monetary challenges, and getting additional vaccines is a great boost to the vaccination exercise that kicked off about a month ago.”
“As a county government, we are very grateful for the support, and we will continue liaising with the ministry to ensure that all our animals are healthy,” said Mwangaza.
By Dickson Mwiti
