CONTACTS: +254 726879488 (Mobile)
+254770 455 116 (Office)
By Steve Umidha
The Kenya Veterinary Board (KVB) plans to set up a new office space and hire more staff in this financial year.
The agency is however, still awaiting for funds from the National treasury to jumpstart the erection of its office block as it also seeks to advertise over 20 new positions to occupy both Nairobi offices and at least seven new regional inspectorate offices that the board is hopeful of setting up in subsequent years to deal with a surge in demand of its services.
“We have a robust plan this financial year. We want to bring back integrity in this profession and by doing that we want to hire more staff, set up a new office facility to adequately address the shortfall we face as well as improve the level of compliance in the sector,” said Kenya Veterinary Board Chief executive Dr. Indraph Ragwa in an exclusive interview with this writer.
The board is targeting a windfall of over Sh250million from the exchequer to reinforce and rally compliance to livestock farming policies that it says will help enhance scrutiny in the wake of quacks that have tainted the profession’s reputation.
Presently according to Dr. Ragwa, it is estimated that the country has over 2,900 registered veterinary surgeons and over 10,000 registered paraprofessionals in the profession with a good number not in its registry and are believed to be operating without legal credentials – putting the lives of livestock and humans at risk.
Part of such plans will include issuance of new biometric identification staff cards, complete with unique security features to help identify genuine professionals from the fake ones who have taken over the animal resource industry and putting the lives of both livestock and humans at risk.
“We are still consulting on how best this can be achieved, but of cause we are alert to the possibilities of such cards being counterfeited that is why they must have unique security features that can be distinguishable even by farmers in rural areas,” he said, adding that the regulatory agency will rely on a host of recommendations and proposals it has put forward for modifications to veterinary surgeons and veterinary paraprofessionals (VSVP) Act of 2011, which among other things seek to offer clear cut mandate of the two cadre of professionals.
While KVB has made substantive progress in curbing unscrupulous dealings in the sector, the veterinary boss says, the agency has successfully convicted at least 1,500 of such cases brought before it with the help judiciary officers, but admits more needs to be done especially in the fine and penalties issued to such individuals.
“Currently the law says such offenders are fined a maximum of Sh100, 000, meaning one can be charged as low as Sh5, 000. We are engaging the treasury on this front as well,” he said.
His pledges comes in the wake of #RedAlert expose which was broadcasted on a local television on Sunday 14 July 2019 which highlighted the malpractices and shortcuts unscrupulous dealers and suppliers are using to extend the shelf life of meat and poultry products.
The expose had revealed how such greedy individuals were cutting corners while putting lives of millions of consumers at risk with boiled matumbo, minced meat and chicken liver said to be some of the most contaminated meats being sold in some Nairobi supermarkets to unsuspecting customers.
Certificates obtained from the National Public Health Laboratory Food Safety and Nutrition Reference Laboratory results indicate that some outlets have been selling meat laced with a preservative that should not be detected in meat.
Following revelations that some meat sellers were harming buyers in their use of preservatives, the Health ministry analyzed 40 samples of meat last week from random establishments. The minced meat samples, for instance, were found to have sodium metabisulfite whose levels were 31 times higher than what is accepted by law.
“A quack is simply a money-minded individual and let’s admit it, it is a creation of professionals,” he concludes.