The investing of Sh 600 million by the Kenyan government towards fighting tsetse flies has seen the total population of the disease vectorts reduce massively.
The fly populations in the areas covered have been brought down from a high of 1000 Flies per Trap per Day (FTD) in Bogoria to below one FTD.
According to the Deputy Director of Livestock Winnie Mahokha, the disease levels both in man and livestock are tremendously down.
“Wildlife susceptible to the disease like Black Rhinos is being introduced into Ruma National Park with revenues going up. Livestock populations and quality have registered significant improvements while crop land has increased in several instances and draught power available for opening up more land,” Said Makokha.
In Kenya, tsetse fly infestation is found in an area of 138,000 square kilometres covering 38 out of 47 counties. The diseases impoverish livestock farmers, threatening food security and livelihoods in these areas.
The risk of outbreak of sleeping sickness is high in Lake Bogoria, Mara-Serengeti and Lake Victoria regions putting a total of about 11 million people at risk of infection. Tsetse infestation and trypanosomiasis infection have negative impacts on wildlife health as well as tourism and tsetse eradication in conservation and adjacent areas is critical.
According to Makokha, there are seven tsetse infested regions in the country including Lakes Victoria, Bogoria and Baringo and Mwea. The other areas include Coast, Kajiado, Isiolo-Samburu and isolated fly belts in Moyale, Wajir, Turkana, Marsabit and Mandera.
Makokha said this during a meeting at the Dairy Training Institute (DTI) in Naivasha.