Kenya declared free from Rinderpest Date Published: 24 Jan, 2011
President Mwai Kibaki unveils the Buffalo monument at Meru
National Park symbolising the eradication of Rinderpest disease
in the country Kenya has been declared officially free from the
rinderpest. President Mwai Kibaki on November 26, 2010 led the
country in celebrations to mark the eradication of the disease
at the Meru National Park where he unveiled a monument and a
commemorative plaque.Speaking at the event, the President said
the eradication had been a culmination of over 50 years of
concerted efforts by the Government in partnership with several
development partners as well as international organizations that
deal with animal health.The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry
of Livestock Development, Kenneth Lusaka, said rinderpest was
one of the major diseases classified by the World Organisation
for Animal Health as being trade sensitive. “Africa is estimated
to have lost approximately two billion dollars in the 1980s to
the disease outbr