 |
| Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka (left) and President William Ruto (right). |
President William Ruto has slammed leaders opposed to the government’s plan to vaccinate millions of livestock countrywide. What Ruto said about vaccination of livestock During the Pastoralist Leadership Summit in Wajir county on Tuesday, December 10, Ruto vowed to continue with his ambitious plans despite opposition by a section of leaders. The president argued that the programme was an initiative that would benefit pastoralists and that people opposing it were stupid.
According to the head of state, any leader opposing the vaccination of livestock was mad or unreasonable. “Anybody opposing vaccination is simply mad, unreasonable and possibly stupid. The vaccination is necessary because we need a disease-free livestock. I want to tell livestock keepers that there is an evil spirit in Kenya that is resident in some leaders who oppose everything,” Ruto said.
Ruto explained that the purpose of the vaccination was to ensure that livestock products from the Kenyan market met the standards for exportation to international markets, arguing that for a long time, the products have fallen short of the requirement. “We need to take charge of disease control and open up markets for our animal products. The vaccines we will be using are produced in Kenya by Kenyans. This will ensure we access both national and international markets for our livestock products,” the president added.
The Kenya Kwanza administration targets to vaccinate 22 million heads of cattle and 50 million goats and sheep. Why Kalonzo opposed vaccination of cattle His remarks come after Wiper Party leader and Azimio co-principal Kalonzo Musyoka raised the alarm over the government’s ambitious plan to vaccinate 22 million cattle nationwide.
In a hard-hitting statement on Friday, November 15, Kalonzo accused the Kenya Kwanza administration of advancing a sinister foreign agenda. The former vice president warned that the programme poses severe risks to both livestock and humans. He alleged that the vaccines, developed abroad, have been rejected in other countries, including the US, and could genetically alter livestock with devastating consequences.
by Amos Khaemba
