Why Bill Gates pulls into line due to cow vaccination in Kenya

The ambitious vaccination initiative in Kenya should start this week in the midst of a fierce resistance of a farmer who is guided by misconceptions about vaccine claims.

Farmers will not cost anything to vaccinate their animals because the Government says that it has a bill.

But Robert Nkukuu, who holds livestock in the Mai Mahi area in Nakuru – some 50 km (30 miles) northwest of the capital, Nairobi, explained that this became a toxic question since President William Ruto announced the plan last November.

“If the community finds out here that you are pro-ease, they will kill you right now. So, stop talking about it, we don’t want it,” he told the BBC.

The goal of the Government is to vaccinate at least 22 million cattle and 50 million goats and sheep over three years.

Currently, only 10% of the national herd gets needed vaccinations, and the authorities say they want to increase that rate at 85% to make Kenyan products for livestock conditions for export.

The president, who owns the farm himself, has several large flocks, said that vaccines are vital to spread the sector by controlling the foot and mouth disease in cattle and the pest des Petits of the ruminant (PPR)-a solemn known as a sheep and a goat of the plague.

But some of those who oppose the program believe that the co -founder of Microsoft Bill Gates fund People who share the interview videos Involving him talking about vaccination of cows to control methane emissions.

Metan expelled from cattle Belching and Farting contributes to about 15% of global emissions each year, UN estimates show. It is the most common greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide (CO2).

Jonathan Mueke, a senior official at the Kenyan Ministry of Agriculture, denied that Gates was involved in the livestock vaccination program – adding that neither US billionaire and philanthropist nor other foreign sources had provided funds.

But this did not stop the theories of conspiracy circulating on social media, often high personalities.

Caleb Karuga, a former journalist and now an influential farmer, Posted on X That he would resist the stitches, saying that no one would vaccinate his cattle only “because Bill Gates said so.”

Olekin ice, opposition senator and prominent Maasai Pastoralist, wrote on x: “There [are] Millions of cows in Europe and America, and neither of them is vaccinated for spraying … mine will not be vaccinated. “

Gates has previously invested in projects to reduce the show of cattle methane and is the funding of a company based in the US that wants to develop a vaccinelike other American investors.

But Prof Ermias Kebreab of the University of California, Davis in the United States, who explored how to reduce the show of methane from livestock, told the BBC that there is currently no livestock vaccine for reducing methane emissions in use.

“I wish we had it, but that is still in development – and no one has arrived [the stage of] Animal testing more, “he said.

However, such guarantees have done little to abolish misunderstanding about the motives of the vaccine campaign.

Consciousness is pushed by some opposition politicians, who said the vaccines would change the genetic composition of livestock, which could result in defective animals.

“Ruto progresses the vicious side of the agenda. This plan is reckless and has to stop,” said Kalonzo Musyok, the opposition leader, shortly after the initiative was announced.

When the BBC asked Musyoka about specific claims that vaccines could be harmful to livestock, his spokesman said the vaccination campaign was a “breach of the Constitution”.

He added that she was “preoccupied with secret” and the government did not share details of resources, implementation or technical details about vaccines.

According to Prof Ermias, the proposal that livestock vaccines will genetically change animals.

“He is very similar to people who are vaccinated to fight various diseases. There is no report that it causes deformities or changes DNA,” the BBC academic told.

President Ruto rejected the views of those who opposed vaccination as “simply wrong, unreasonable and maybe stupid.”

“All of us who are vaccinated, did anyone stop frying?” Said Ruto as he rejected methane’s demands as “stupidity.”

However, analysts say that the spread of such conspiracy theories is reduced to the bad communication of Ruto himself, as well as low confidence in his government after protest against taxes last year and a series of corruption scandals.

The government faced a large repulsive increase in taxes adopted since Ruto became president of 2022 – which makes him very unpopular. Last June was that forced to withdraw the controversial bill of law This would include more tax increase.

Alphonce Shiinda, editor of Kenya from the fact of the fact of Africacheck, says that the Government has now faced a “lack of trust” in the way she has announced a cattle campaign.

When ruto He announced firstThe details were scarce – and it was not clear what the animals would be vaccinated on.

This is the case when the tools that follow the posts on social media on the X show that there was a clear jump mention of both gates and cows in accounts with their location listed as Kenya.

Furore has grown into a matter of national debate, and caricators even advocated a cow of social media rights with comic pictures “my fart, my choice”.

Kenya Veterinary Association (Kva) invited the Government to stop the vaccination exercise and first implement a campaign for public awareness.

“The politicization of vaccination exercises has adversely affected the entire campaign, draining the public from the goal of the disease control,” Dr. Kelvin Osore, Chairman, told the BBC.

However, Dr. Allan Azegele, director of veterinary services at the Ministry of Agriculture, said he could not be delayed in terms of a recent strong foot and mouth in western areas.

This forced several cattle markets to close this month – and the authorities have imposed strict quarantine measures in these places.

“We can’t wait … because it is more expensive to respond to epidemics. We have to be proactive, not reactive,” Dr. Azegele told the BBC.

He said that the feet and mouth had no special treatment, making prevention of vaccination crucial.

Agriculture Minister Mutahi Kagwe sought to convince everyone that the exercise would be voluntary and that he had committed to hiring all stakeholders for “cureing misinformation” about this problem.

The government also assured the public that vaccines were produced locally.

But some farmers are still promised to resist vaccinations, citing a possible foreign influence and distrust of the Government.

David Tiriki, a farmer of Stoke in Kajiado County, south of Nairobi, told the BBC that he would not allow his animals to be unoculated, citing security fears.

“I doubt that someone is trying to introduce a virus into our cattle so that the rich can start selling the medicine to poor farmers who may not even afford it,” he said.

The BBC spoke with a small farmer from Makueni County, southeast of Nairobi, who welcomed the initiative.

But Ngemu Musau urged the government to make the whole process more transparent.

“I want my cattle that my cattle will be fine after the vaccine,” he told the BBC.

“There is a need for the government to carry out an intense campaign for public awareness.”