Refugees join Turkana’s livestock watchdog network after intensive animal health training
Twenty new community animal disease reporters, including three refugees, complete intensive training to strengthen early detection and reporting of livestock outbreaks.
At least 20 newly trained community animal disease reporters (CADRs) have been certified and issued with reflector jackets after completing a 21-day intensive training in Kakuma, Turkana West. The programme aimed to strengthen early detection and reporting of livestock diseases during the rainy season.
The trainees were selected from Kakuma, Kalobeyei, Letea, and Lopur Wards, and included three refugees from Kakuma Refugee Camp — Tengeneza Emmanuel, Bernard Lusema, and Kayandi Cedrik — who expressed pride in joining the Turkana West surveillance network.
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"We'll focus much of our reporting on poultry farming within the camp since livestock numbers are lower there," said Emmanuel Fundi, one of the refugee trainees.
Refugees inclusion hailed
Presiding over the graduation ceremony, County Director of Veterinary Services Benson Long’or hailed the inclusion of refugees as a major milestone in strengthening Turkana’s disease surveillance system.
"I am particularly proud that for the first time, we have integrated refugees into our community's routine disease surveillance. It is my hope that other partners in Turkana West can emulate this in future trainings," said Long’or.
He commended the collaboration between the County Government of Turkana, the Turkana Pastoralist Development Organisation (TUPADO), Danish Refugee Council (DRC), and Dan Church Aid (DCA) under the Pathways to Prosperity (P2P) project, which has supported mass livestock vaccination and field training.
Fruits of partnership
According to TUPADO’s Veterinary Field Coordinator, Dr James Keben, the partnership has now produced 54 CADRs in Turkana West—20 newly trained and 34 who underwent refresher training.
"This project previously supported the vaccination of 113,000 sheep and goats against peste des petits ruminants (PPR), and we intend to sustain these efforts," Keben said.
Trainee Kidirio Etaan from Namon village, Lopur Ward, said the training empowered them to stand out as qualified community animal health reporters.
"There are many animals in Turkana West, hence the need for more trained reporters," he noted.
The newly certified CADRs will now serve as the first line of defence, monitoring for disease outbreaks and submitting timely reports to the county veterinary office in Lodwar to safeguard the region’s livestock economy.
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