Presented By: Diba D. Wako
Event: 2nd ECHO East Africa Pastoralist Symposium (02-03-2016)
Session: The pastoral areas of Kenya are characterised by poor access to quality livestock services. Consequently the pastoralists are forced to purchase sub-standard and/or counterfeit veterinary drugs - often from unqualified people - to meet their animal health needs. They also treat their livestock by themselves due to the shortage of animal health professionals in the area. These factors lead to poor animal health management resulting in substantial livestock losses and expose the consumers to public health risks. It is in response to these gaps that Sidai, a social enterprise, was started in 2011. The company has set up a national network of over 100 branded franchised Livestock Service Centres across Kenya with the aim of delivering quality products and services to livestock keepers through a sustainable business model. A total of 48 such centres are providing livestock services in the pastoral areas of Kenya.
Biographical information: Diba Dida Wako is REGAL- IR Program Director (Northern Kenya) at Sidai Africa Limited. He is a Trans-boundary Animal Disease Management Specialist with years of experience in Animal Health Service Delivery in the Horn of Africa. His Msc thesis was on participatory epidemiology of camel diseases in northern Kenya.