By Issa Hussein - Reporter
17 May 2026 - Marsabit County has joined a major Kenya-Ethiopia cross-border livestock vaccination campaign targeting nearly five million animals in a renewed push to curb transboundary animal diseases threatening pastoral livelihoods in the Horn of Africa.
The exercise, launched in Anona area in Sololo Sub-County, comes a day after Ethiopian authorities flagged off a similar campaign in Ilamu and Boku Luboma Kebeles in the Borana Zone.
The Department of Livestock Development under the Marsabit County Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Livestock Development said the initiative seeks to strengthen regional disease surveillance, boost livestock productivity and improve food security among pastoral communities along the porous border.
“The synchronised vaccination campaign demonstrates growing regional cooperation in animal health management and pastoral resilience,” the department said in a statement.
The Marsabit delegation was led by Dr Dokhe Aboran, representing Acting Chief Officer for Livestock Development Dr Arero Halkano, alongside Dr Boku Bodha and other technical officers.
The campaign targets priority trans-boundary animal diseases, including Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR), a highly contagious viral disease affecting goats and sheep.
According to the county government, nearly two million livestock are expected to be vaccinated in Moyale and North Horr sub-counties during the exercise.
“The intervention is aimed at tightening disease surveillance systems while safeguarding livelihoods that depend heavily on livestock production,” the department said.
The wider regional programme, jointly implemented by Kenya and Ethiopia, is expected to vaccinate close to five million livestock — including camels, cattle, goats and sheep — by the end of June 2026.
The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Centre for Pastoral Areas and Livestock Development (ICPALD) said the campaign was launched in Ethiopia’s Miyo District in Borana Zone targeting at least 300,000 livestock in the first phase.
“This kicks off the extended exercise which projects to vaccinate a total of five million livestock by the end of June 2026 in various districts bordering Kenya,” IGAD ICPALD said in a statement.
The regional body noted that the programme will cover districts of Miyo, Moyale, Dhire, Dillo and Teltele in Ethiopia alongside neighbouring Kenyan border areas.
The vaccination drive is funded by the African Development Bank under the Building Resilience to Food and Nutrition Security (BREFONS) project.
Livestock diseases remain a major challenge in pastoral regions, often causing heavy economic losses, disrupting cross-border trade and worsening food insecurity during drought periods.
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