Kenya has stepped up efforts to control livestock diseases while managing cross-border movement of animals and pastoralist communities, as the government seeks to protect livestock health and livelihoods without disrupting traditional migration routes.
The coordinated response follows outbreaks of African Swine Fever (ASF) and other transboundary animal diseases reported in several parts of the country.
According to the Public Communication Division of the Ministry of Interior and National Administration, ASF has affected more than 20 farms in Kiambu since mid-May, resulting in approximately 1,470 pig deaths.
The ministry said the outbreak has raised concerns over the potential for further spread of the highly contagious disease.
The Department of Veterinary Services has also reported significant ASF outbreaks in Tharaka-Nithi, Busia, Embu, Kakamega, Homa Bay and Migori counties.
The spread across several counties has widened the focus of the government’s response beyond a single outbreak location.
In Tharaka-Nithi, the department recorded 108 cases and 97 deaths between January 5 and 11, 2026. An update by the Department of Veterinary Services to the Border Control and Operations Coordination Committee (BCOCC), chaired by Internal Security Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo, showed that the government is sustaining measures to strengthen livestock disease surveillance, prevention and response.
The measures also seek to address risks linked to the movement of livestock and pastoralist communities across international borders.
The government is implementing the Pastoralism and Livestock Adaptation to Climate in Eastern Africa (PLACE) Programme as part of the wider response.
The €47 million programme, funded by the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the European Union, is aimed at strengthening the resilience of pastoralist communities and livestock systems in Eastern Africa.
The programme complements wider efforts to address threats to livestock health and livelihoods arising from disease outbreaks, climate pressures and cross-border movement.
Kenya is also implementing the IGAD Protocol on Transhumance, which provides a framework for managing the seasonal movement of pastoralists and livestock across international borders.
The protocol is considered important because transboundary livestock movements can facilitate the spread of animal diseases and complicate efforts to contain outbreaks.
The protocol operates across three pastoral clusters: Mandera, Karamoja and Mara-Serengeti.
The Mandera Cluster links Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia. The Karamoja Cluster brings together Kenya, South Sudan, Ethiopia and Uganda, while the Mara-Serengeti Cluster links Kenya and Tanzania.
Within the clusters, national and sub-national authorities are working with Cluster Committees representing cross-border communities.
The committees are helping to facilitate the safe and orderly seasonal movement of pastoralists and livestock while strengthening disease prevention and control measures.
The interventions include vaccination campaigns against Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) and Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBPP).
Authorities are also undertaking deworming and pest-control measures. In the Karamoja Cluster, efforts are ongoing to strengthen control of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD).
The government said the coordinated approach is designed to strike a balance between disease control and the livelihoods of pastoralist communities whose economic activities depend on seasonal movement.
“The coordinated approach is intended to ensure that efforts to protect livestock health and livelihoods are not undermined by uncontrolled cross-border movements, while enabling pastoralist communities to maintain traditional seasonal migration routes and economic activities,” the Public Communication Division of the Ministry of Interior and National Administration said.
The approach therefore combines disease surveillance and prevention with measures aimed at ensuring that cross-border pastoralist movement remains safe and orderly.
The government is sustaining the interventions as it responds to ASF and other transboundary animal diseases while supporting livestock systems and communities that depend on them.
