Agriculture Cabinet Secretary nominee Mutahi Kagwe found himself at pains to clarify his position on making livestock vaccination a farmer’s choice.
While appearing before the National Assembly vetting committee on Tuesday, January 14, Mutahi had stated that the mass vaccination of livestock would not be forced on farmers.
“The matter is simple. Here is a vaccine for foot and mouth disease. You have a goat; do you want it vaccinated? If you say yes, we vaccinate. If you say no, we say ‘sawa.’ Alaa?” Mutahi explained.
However, National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula questioned how Kagwe planned to ensure that some cows are vaccinated while others are not, given the issue of contagious diseases.
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This came after Kagwe’s earlier response to the question about making vaccination optional, where he stated, “My intention is not to simply say that I have given people a choice and left it at that. It is to ensure that the communication we are executing will make sure that the farmer is ready to take the necessary steps to protect their livestock.”
The Speaker, however, pointed out the inconsistency in Kagwe’s earlier remarks.
“That is not what you said earlier. Nominee, earlier, you mentioned that you would turn up with your vaccine and ask the farmer if they want their cow vaccinated. If the farmer says no, you simply leave the cow and move on to the next one,” the speaker said.
“Now the cow you have left behind is bearing a disease that will infect the one that you have vaccinated next door. So, is this how you intend to run the ministry, or have you vacated that position?”
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Mutahi Kagwe Speaks On Making Livestock Vaccination Optional
In his response, Kagwe stated that no one would be forced to vaccinate their livestock. Instead, farmers would be given a choice and encouraged to make the right decision for the health of their animals.
“I have not vacated that position. Don’t take it too literally. Nobody is going to be forced to vaccinate. You cannot go and force a farmer with a gun or whatever means to tell them that they must absolutely vaccinate this cow, or else I will take you to the police station. That is not the way to approach the issue,” Kagwe emphasized.
“The choice that I have created is the choice where you are saying listen there is no force of vaccinating your cow. If you don’t want us to vaccinate it, we will leave it. However, these are the problems you are going to incur.”
He added, “Nobody with proper communication is going to make that choice but what you cannot do is go there at gunpoint and tell somebody. You can imagine the kind of conflict that could arise with such a system.”
At the same time, Kagwe stated that he will use experts who understand vaccination as the lead communicators. He will rely on veterinary officers to explain what the government is trying to achieve.
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