The County Government of Kakamega has declared a quarantine of livestock in Malava and Lugari Sub-Counties following an outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD).
In a notice to the public, dated 25th November 2025, the County Executive for Agriculture Mophat Mandela said the quarantine affected cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and related products.
Mandela said the department has in response mounted an immediate FMD vaccination campaign in the affected areas.
“Vaccination will begin without delay, commencing 26 November 2025, and will continue until all the livestock within the quarantine zones have been vaccinated,” he stated.
He added that the county government will meet all vaccination costs for eligible livestock.
“All provisions of quarantine notice remain in force. No animal or animal products shall be moved into or out of the affected areas without written permissions from the County Director of Veterinary Services,” the notice read.
Mandela urged farmers and livestock owners to ensure they comply with animal movement restrictions and other precautions as directed by veterinary officers or inspectors.
The notice further directs that herds of cattle be kept off public roads and isolated as much as possible.
Residents have also been instructed to dispose of carcasses of animals that die from the disease through deep burial (not less than four feet deep) or by burning.
“Do not sell, move or mix animals from affected areas. Unauthorized movement is an offence and may attract penalties under the Animal Diseases Act,” the CECM warned.
He advised residents to always boil or pasteurize milk before consumption and cautioned against selling or giving away raw milk from the affected herds until the outbreak is declared controlled.
The CECM asked residents to remain alert and report any suspected cases of animals showing fever, drooling, blisters in the mouth or on the feet, or a sudden drop in milk production to Sub-County Veterinary Officers.
He said vaccination will be conducted home-to-home through sub-county administration, veterinary officers and community leaders.
“We ask all livestock owners, traders and the general public to remain calm and to cooperate fully with veterinary and administration teams. The County government is committed to containing the outbreak quickly and to protecting livestock health and community livelihoods.
Failure to comply with quarantine and veterinary instructions endangers animals and people’s lives and will be dealt with according to the law,” he noted.
The outbreak of the FMD comes at a time when the county government has intensified measures to control outbreak of diseases affecting livestock through mass vaccination drives and policy interventions.
The County government launched a countywide vaccination campaign against FMD on October 8, 2025 targeting 286,000 cattle across all the 12 sub-counties through the E-voucher subsidy programme.
The vaccination drive is supposed to last until December with the county government spending Sh31.4million where each farmer is required to pay Sh 50 per animal to be vaccinated as the county tops-up with Sh110.
At the same time the county government through the Kakamega County Livestock Sale Yard Bill, 2024 seeks to restrict sale of livestock to designated sale yards to promote trade and control disease outbreaks such as FMD.
This is the second time this year that the Kakamega county government is dealing with an outbreak of FMD after an earlier outbreak reported in February was brought under control.
By Moses Wekesa
