Department of Veterinary Services

Dr. Benson Longor

Director Veterinary Services

Preamble

The Directorate of Veterinary Services through its Disease and Vector control as well as Veterinary Public health personnel (15 Veterinary Surgeons and 18 Technicians/Technologists) delivers services to the pastoralists of Turkana across all the seven sub-counties (Thirty wards). The core function is mainly Disease control while the clinical services is done by the private sector with regulatory function left for the government.

The Veterinary Public Health and Hygiene unit undertakes daily meat inspection and hygiene services across the licensed slaughter facilities in Turkana, coupled with routine screening of animals at various Livestock markets within the county. The Directorate as such, supports in revenue collection across these facilities in addition to hides and skins licensing services.

  • VISION
  • MISSION

  • To be a leading institution and player in protection of animal and human health, to safeguard environmentally sustainable livestock based livelihoods for food security and wealth creation.

  • To provide and facilitate efficient veterinary services for production of safe and high quality animals and animal products.

  • MANDATE
  • CORE VALUES

  • To prevent and control animal diseases and pests in order to safeguard human & animal health, improve animal welfare, increase livestock productivity and ensure quality livestock and their products

  • Core values

    • Professionalism
    • Honesty
    • Strategic Partnerships
  • FUNCTIONS

  • Functions

    • Formulation, Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation of Animal Health Related  strategies, Policies and legal frameworks
    • Management, control and eradication of animal Diseases and pests including Zoonoses in collaboration with other stakeholders.
    • Laboratory Diagnostic services and disease surveillance
    • Provision and Facilitation of extension services in animal Health, welfare and production
    • Development of Veterinary Farms, quarantine stations and other infrastructure
    • Development and Coordination of Projects and programmes in animal Health Sector
    • Information Management for the animal Health Sector
    • Veterinary regulatory management and quality control of inputs , livestock , livestock products and by-products
    • Veterinary Public Health.
  • STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES
  • PROJECTS
    1. Coordinating, Monitoring and Reviewing all Disease and Vector control activities in the county
    2. Supervise Disease vector control as well as Veterinary Public health & Extension Programs within the county, including revenue collection as per Finance Act of Turkana County.
    3. Establish and operationalize The county Veterinary Diagnostic/Laboratory Services, coupled with A robust Participatory Disease Search(PDS) and Surveillance systems(e-surveillance)
    4. Encourage Disease Free Zones and Organized Livestock screening services across all Livestock holding/Sale yards
    5. Provide a regulated Hides and skins Development activities in Turkana County.
    6. Supervise all Private and public Animal Health Providers  in Turkana County as per The Veterinary Surgeons and para-veterinarians Act
    7. Ensure Human resources is sufficient for animal Health  across the county- At least two vets per Sub-county, and one Animal Health Technician per ward, One Meat inspector per slaughter house model, One lab technician per lab).
    8. Establish Real Time Community Disease Reporting and Response mechanism across the county.
    9. Establish and operationalize a county vaccines cold chain facility mechanism
    10. Establish and operationalize a county Veterinary drugs & equipment delivery and access model for clinical services

  • Projects

    1. Vaccination, deworming and Treatment of animals including Emergency support
    2. Participatory Disease Search (PDS) & e-surveillance system-

    Turkana County Directorate of Veterinary Services has established an electronic surveillance system for Livestock disease reporting with a network of Community Disease Reporters linked to Veterinary personnel who have an android phone reporting system connected to a central server in Lodwar that remits Real Time disease situation across the county. The system therefore gives a summary of disease syndromes that supports decision making in resource allocation. Data collection is also done from Slaughter houses through meat inspectors and in a private agrovet shops that link the veterinary drugs sold and the general disease situation.

    1. Procurement of Veterinary Drugs (Assorted) and Vaccines-

    The innovative decentralized animal Health service delivery model in Turkana involves prepositioning of Veterinary Drugs and equipment to the seven sub-counties based on the population of Livestock and the diseases common in these areas. This is aimed at easy access by the pastoralists and to make it easy for quick responses whenever there is an emergency. To date, no major disease outbreaks have happened in Turkana County since this innovative model of delivery of veterinary services through devolved units.

     

    1. Construction of cold chain facilities in Lokichar and Lokitaung
    2. Construction of the County Veterinary Laboratory-One at the Headquarters
    3. Mobile crashes for Livestock movement control during routine animal Health activities-Five Sets
    4. Dogs/Cats Population control
    5. Renovation/Rehabilitation of slaughter house-Kanamkemer and Lokitaung
    6. Revenue collection for Meat inspection services-local and export, movement permit and licenses
    7. Licensing of Hides and Skins

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