Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has emphasized the importance of vaccinating livestock in Kenya, highlighting how this initiative will help create wealth for herders, improve the quality of leather, and unlock opportunities for the country’s animal product exports. Speaking during a consultative meeting with leaders from Isiolo County, the DP explained that the vaccination exercise is a critical move to address the challenges that have hindered Kenya’s ability to export its livestock products.
Kenya, with its large livestock population, is the third-largest livestock-keeping country in Africa, after Sudan and Somalia. The country boasts 22 million cows and 50 million small livestock (goats and sheep). However, the inability to export meat, milk, and other animal products has been a long-standing problem due to concerns over animal diseases. DP Kindiki stressed that vaccination is the key to resolving this issue, which has kept Kenyan livestock products out of international markets.
“We have great market openings abroad but we cannot export our meat and milk products if our animals have disease doubts. Vaccination will resolve this problem,” said Kindiki. By vaccinating all livestock, he argued, Kenya would not only protect its herders but also create more wealth for the sector, with improved returns for livestock keepers.
In addition to meat and milk, the government is looking to tap into the leather products value chain, which experts believe holds significant economic potential. Kindiki pointed out that leather products are worth more than ten times the value of meat. Unfortunately, much of Kenya’s leather is often sold cheaply, at throwaway prices, or wasted. By vaccinating the animals, the hides will be of better quality, which will allow for value addition—transforming them into high-quality leather for producing shoes, belts, bags, and other products.
Currently, the leather sector contributes an estimated Sh10 billion annually to Kenya’s economy. However, with the completion and operationalization of the Kinanie Leather Industrial Park, this income is expected to increase significantly, with projections reaching Sh150 billion annually. The park is also attracting interest from international designer brands, further underscoring the potential of Kenya’s leather industry.
The nationwide livestock vaccination campaign is voluntary but promises to be a transformative step toward improving Kenya’s agricultural and industrial sectors, fostering wealth creation for herders, and enhancing the country’s standing in the global market for animal products.
