The Kenya Veterinary Association (KVA) has raised concern over the grabbing of various veterinary farms in the country saying that this was adversely affecting research work.
Coming in the wake of the Machakos County land issue, the association warned that the vice could adversely affect livestock production in the country.
The association through its chairman Dr Geoffrey Mutai noted that there was already an increase in zoonotic diseases among human beings since the grabbing started.
Mutai called on the government to protect all veterinary farms across the country for the interest of public health, food security and safety of Kenyan people.
“Activities undertaken on the veterinary farms are for the good of entire country and not only for the counties where they are located,” he said.
He recommended that all veterinary farms be issued with title deeds and retained under the National government as they served a national function.
On the Machakos land, Mutai called on all the ongoing developments to be halted and structures already erected to be demolished.
“Any individuals who have in the past or present encroached on veterinary facilities should be prosecuted,” he said.
The association deputy chair Dr Samuel Kahariri identified the affected areas as Kabete, Ngong, Machakos, Maseno, Kiboko and Limuru veterinary farms.
Speaking in Naivasha he said that the farms were gazzetted in 1963 and were meant to improve livestock production and act as holding grounds.
He noted that the facilities were to be used for research, livestock improvement, multiplication, gene preservation and livestock movement control as a function of disease control.
Kahariri expressed his concern over the current status noting that majority of the farms had attracted land grabbers who included influential people in the government.
“Most of the holding grounds have been grabbed posing a great challenge to livestock traders and disease control activities of the state department of livestock,” he said.
On the issue of Machakos land, he said that the parcel of land was set aside by colonial government in 1906 as a public utility land.
The doctor noted that this was among the last remaining holding lands for livestock where animals were also screened before being taken to KMC.
“The farm has been used for research on new drugs and vaccines and these trials can never be carried out on private farms as they pose great danger to the general public,” he said.
By Antony Gitonga, Standard Media
