Opposing Cattle Vaccination Is Stupid: Ruto Rips Into Kalonzo
He called on those without knowledge about livestock rearing to leave the conversation to experts
Viral Tea Ke Writer 
President William Ruto on Tuesday, December 10 called out political leaders he claimed were blindly opposing the Kenya Kwanza government policies, in this case, the livestock vaccination campaign scheduled to commence in 2025.
Speaking during the launch of the Pastoralist Leadership Summit in Wajir County, the Head of State made a strong case for the upcoming vaccination drive, saying the exercise aims to eliminate livestock diseases including foot-and-mouth disease (FMD).
Thus, he called on those without knowledge about livestock rearing to leave the conversation to experts, remarks which were viewed as a subtle jab at Wiper Party Leader, Kalonzo Musyoka.
Ruto also lamented the existence of evil spirits in the country, again, accusing them of infecting those leaders and manipulating them to the point of spreading falsehoods to discredit his administration.
A photo of Boran cattle. /MPALA LIVE
“There is an evil spirit in Kenya that is resident in some leaders. They churn out falsehood, they oppose everything for the sake of opposing. I mean foot and mouth disease, and PPI are diseases which we have been fighting ever since I was born it is nothing new.
"So anybody opposing vaccination to eliminate FMD and PPI is simply mad and unreasonable and possibly stupid,” Ruto stated.
In what is now turning out to be a trademark of the fifth President of the Republic of Kenya, Ruto advised leaders who were unfamiliar with livestock rearing to steer clear of the vaccination issue.
“Honestly, how else can you explain, maybe they don’t have cattle, they don’t understand what this is all about. So if you are used to planting things you don’t know about livestock, please, when we are having a conversation about livestock, shut up!” he insisted.
Speaking at the party's command centre in Nairobi on Friday, November 16, Kalonzo cautioned that the introduction of dangerous substances as a result of President Ruto's administration working with foreign billionaires to use Kenya as a testing ground could cause damaging side effects.
These include complications with biological formations and the capability for the animals to reproduce, issues which would pass down to humans through consuming animal farm produce and do damage to normal internal body systems.
Despite mounting pressure to drop the vaccination drive, Ruto vowed to soldier on, assuring the farmers that the vaccines are safe and that they are sourced locally. The president officially announced the plans to vaccinate livestock on November 8, 2024, revealing that 22 million cattle and 50 million goats and sheep will be vaccinated.
He explained that the programme will help prevent animal diseases and thus secure the international market for livestock products. “This will ensure we access both national and international markets for our livestock products,” he stated.
During his address on Tuesday, Ruto also dismissed Kalonzo's allegations that the vaccines would be coming from abroad as he reiterated that Kenya had sufficient resources to produce her own vaccines.
"And for the avoidance of doubt, the vaccines that will be used, are produced in Kenya, by Kenyans," Ruto added. "Kevevapi, our institution is going to produce these vaccines. We have one of the largest vaccine producers in Africa. Today, we are selling vaccines to other countries."
