It is shocking and disheartening to see Kenyans eating dog meat because the country lacks the veterinary manpower to inspect and ascertain quality of meat across the country. Equally, we mourn with the people of Kericho & Kisii Counties who have either lost their lives, their body parts maimed or still hospitalized after consuming uninspected meat. Veterinary Practitioners play the crucial role of protecting Kenyans against the deadly animal pathogens like the current ANTHRAX Outbreak in Kisii County.
Truth be told, the veterinary services in Kenya key in protecting human & animal health, is on the on the verge of collapse. Our practitioners have been overworked and underpaid across the national & County Governments. For example, from 2013 to date, 67% of the entire veterinary workforce across the two levels of government have retired with no replacement being done. We have had practitioners suffer disabling injuries without any Work Injury benefits paid to them. The approach by counties to work in Silos and without the central national command is facilitating the spread of killer pathogens such as anthrax and rabies. If unchecked, rabies will kill more Kenyans in the year 2023 than before.
In order to guarantee public food safety and avoid our practitioners being blamed on Veterinary Public Health associated deficiencies, we have today the 10th Day of January
2023 issued a 60-day Strike notice to the employers – the State Department of Livestock & the 47 County Governments unless the following demands are addressed;
- Veterinary Practitioners Employment & Succession Management – The shortage of Veterinary Doctors & Veterinary Paraprofessionals across Kenya is a ticking time – bomb. The Veterinary Practitioners undertaking surveillance and clearances at our border points and reference laboratories have been overworked without any extraneous allowances being paid to them. Equally, this applies to practitioners manning our counties & sub counties, those in institutions of higher learning and those undertaking the veterinary public health through inspection and assurance of meat for public consumption & export.
- The State Department of Livestock has a shortfall of about 1000 Veterinary practitioners while counties have an estimated shortfall of 20,000 Veterinary Surgeons and Veterinary Paraprofessional shortfall. This must be addressed immediately.
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