Garissa county has strengthened its livestock sector after launching a modern vaccine storage facility aimed at improving animal health services and safeguarding pastoral livelihoods.
Governor Nathif Jama said the facility, the first of its kind in northern Kenya, can store up to 10 million doses of livestock vaccines and related drugs for up to two years.
Equipped with a solar-powered backup system, the unit is designed to maintain cold storage even during frequent power interruptions, a major challenge in the region’s high temperatures that often affect vaccine effectiveness.
Speaking during the commissioning, Jama described the project as a major milestone for a county where livestock remains the backbone of the economy.
He said the facility will improve response to disease outbreaks, reduce losses from spoiled vaccines and protect pastoralist livelihoods.
“In regions like ours where temperatures are consistently high, maintaining the integrity of livestock vaccines has always been a challenge,” the governor said.
“This facility ensures that our farmers and pastoralists have access to effective, safe, and long-lasting veterinary products.”
The governor also commissioned a livestock feed storage facility designed to help farmers store surplus fodder during rainy seasons for use during drought periods, a move expected to cushion communities against recurring dry spells.
Both the vaccine storage unit and the feed facility were funded by Garissa county under the World Bank-supported Emergency Locust Response Programme, part of broader resilience-building efforts in the livestock sector.
Jama also opened new premises for the Food Systems Resilience Programme, another World Bank-backed initiative aimed at improving food security, boosting agricultural production and strengthening crisis preparedness.
Livestock farmer Hussein Mohamed welcomed the developments, saying farmers have long struggled with vaccine storage challenges.
“Many times, we have lost livestock not because we did not care, but because the systems to support us were not in place. This facility is something we have needed for a very long time,” he said.
He added that reliable vaccine storage would improve animal health and strengthen household incomes.
Officials, including county secretary Mohamud Mursal and livestock executive Milgow Dubow, attended the launch.
Garissa Governor Nathif Jama speaking after opening the livestock vaccine storage unit in Garissa town./STEPHEN ASTARIKO
Garissa Governor Nathif Jama poses for a group photo with county officials and veterinary officers after opening the livestock vaccine storage unit /STEPHEN ASTARIKO
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