The government has rolled out an aggressive livestock disease control programme spanning multiple counties, aiming to shield smallholder farmers from billion-shilling losses while unlocking lucrative international markets for Kenyan meat and dairy products.

The nationwide push combines mass vaccination drives, a proposed animal identification and traceability law, and regional partnerships to comply with strict sanitary standards required by export destinations such as the Middle East, European Union, and United States .

Foot-and-mouth disease remains the single biggest threat to Kenya’s livestock sector. The viral infection causes annual economic losses estimated at Sh297 billion across Africa, with affected dairy cows suffering up to an 80 per cent drop in milk production that can last for months .

In response, the State Department for Livestock Development plans to vaccinate 22 million cattle against FMD and 50 million goats and sheep against Peste des Petits Ruminants, a viral disease that kills up to 90 per cent of infected herds . The campaign relies on locally manufactured vaccines from the Kenya Veterinary Vaccines Production Institute, including the FOTIVAX vaccine which covers four FMD virus strains prevalent in the country .

Kericho County launched a subsidised vaccination drive in February targeting over 233,000 animals across all 20 wards . Governor Dr Erick Mutai urged farmers to present their livestock promptly, warning that FMD spreads rapidly through animal contact and contaminated equipment, often triggering market closures that devastate local incomes.

Kitui County followed with a Sh26 million programme targeting 245,000 cattle, subsidising vaccination costs from Sh160 to just Sh50 per animal through an e-voucher system . In the northern arid regions, Wajir County recently concluded a week-long campaign vaccinating more than 250,000 animals, including 200,000 sheep and goats against PPR, with farmers paying only Sh3 per animal .

Beyond vaccination, the government is pursuing a more permanent solution through the proposed Animal Identification and Traceability Bill, 2026 . The legislation, currently undergoing public participation, establishes a modern data-driven system for registering individual animals and tracking their movement from birth to slaughter.

Senior Deputy Director for Livestock Policy Dr William Akwimbi told stakeholders in Kisii that the ANITRAC system would enable farmers to use their animals as collateral for credit and insurance, while giving the country the traceability infrastructure required by premium export markets .

The export dimension is critical. Kenya currently cannot sell livestock products to the United States or European Union because FMD remains endemic, and those markets have been disease-free for decades . A single outbreak can shut down trade routes overnight.

Dr Richard Kyuma, Director and Head of Marketing at the State Department for Livestock Development, confirmed the vaccination programme aims directly at reopening those doors . The government has also partnered with the Food and Agriculture Organisation and regional neighbours under a project funded by the Standards and Trade Development Facility to align Kenya’s disease management systems with international sanitary standards .

For pastoralist communities, the stakes are equally high at household level. PPR, also known as sheep and goat plague, killed 1.2 million animals valued at Sh236 million when it first appeared in Turkana County in 2006 . The government has since launched a Sh6.2 billion national strategy to eradicate the disease by 2027, aligning with global targets set by the FAO and the World Organisation for Animal Health .

Livestock Principal Secretary Harry Kimtai said the disease remains a direct threat to food security and a barrier to realising the country’s agricultural development goals . He called for a multi-sectoral approach bringing together public agencies, private sector actors, and development partners including the European Union and the African Union-Interafrican Bureau for Animal Resources.

The government has recorded notable progress, with nearly 9 million animals already covered under the national mass vaccination programme . But officials acknowledge that reaching herd immunity requires vaccinating at least 80 per cent of cattle nationally, a target that demands sustained political will and farmer participation.

For Kenya’s livestock farmers, the message is clear. Disease control is no longer just about protecting individual herds. It is the price of entry into a global market where traceability and health certification determine who gets to sell, and who gets left behind.