NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 15 — The Global Alliance for Livestock Veterinary Medicines (GALVmed) has partnered with the Kenya Veterinary Association (KVA) and the Ministry of Agriculture in a nationwide rollout of ruminant vaccinations.
The campaign aims to boost livestock productivity, increase household incomes, and open new regional and global markets for Kenyan livestock and related products.
The initiative complements the government’s ongoing mass vaccination campaign targeting Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) — two diseases that routinely limit production and suppress Kenya’s export competitiveness.
With national vaccination coverage currently below 10 percent, the partners say expanding immunisation will reduce livestock losses, improve herd resilience, and strengthen Kenya’s compliance with sanitary and traceability standards required by major international buyers.
“We’ve gathered here today to bring together all participants involved in ruminant vaccination. Our goal is to raise the national vaccination rate as the government works toward vaccinating 22 million cattle and 50 million sheep and goats,” said Lois Maragori of GALVmed, highlighting the organisation’s five-year VITAL 2 programme, which covers Kenya and two other African countries to close the vaccination gap and enhance livestock value chains.
Reclaiming markets
David Kihuyu, Deputy Director in the Department of Veterinary Services, emphasised that strong animal health systems are key to reclaiming regional and international markets previously inaccessible to Kenyan producers.
“We cannot fully execute our mandate without involvement of other stakeholders, from information dissemination to vaccine producers, distributors, and researchers. Some eradicated diseases are resurfacing, affecting trade, animal movement, human health, and Kenya’s market access,” Kihuyu said.
The vaccination exercise now integrates accurate disease reporting, traceability, and animal identification to meet global market requirements.
Nicholas Muyale, KVA Council Chairperson, noted that government coordination ensures smooth vaccine production, distribution, and field deployment.
“This is the first government-organised multi-stakeholder meeting bringing together all actors in the livestock sector. The government is intervening to ensure coordinated participation and effective nationwide rollout,” Muyale said.
Kenya targets nearly 90 percent ruminant vaccination coverage under its progressive disease-control strategy, a move projected to open new export corridors in the Middle East, South America, West Africa, and the Indian Ocean region.
The partners say increased coverage will stabilise production, expand market access, and support thousands of pastoral and smallholder households whose incomes rely on livestock.
