Trans-boundary Animal Diseases (TADs) and pests are one of the main risk factors in IGAD countries. ©FAO/Somalia

15 July 2019, Nairobi - Transboundary Animal Diseases (TADs) and pests are one of the main risk factors in IGAD countries. Pastoralist communities that live and frequently migrate within the cross-border areas share natural resources, and marketing of livestock and livestock products. Regrettably, there has been limited coordination by the countries in animal health delivery.

In efforts to address these challenges, FAO supported the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cross-border animal health and sanitary measures for the IGAD Cluster 1 countries on the 5 July 2019 in Entebbe Uganda. IGAD Cluster 1, popularly known as the Karamoja Cluster, lies in the cross-border areas between Ethiopia (Southern Nations and Nationalities Peoples), Kenya (Turkana and Pokot counties), South Sudan (Eastern Equatorial State) and Uganda (Districts of Karamoja).

The MOU was preceded by a two-day technical meeting with the cluster countries, organized by the IGAD Center for Pastoral Areas and Livestock Development (ICPALD) with support from the FAO, the EU, and USAID, with the aim of developing an effective implementation framework for the MoU.

Representatives from respective ministries of Livestock signed the MoU. Dubbed the Karamoja Cluster MoU, the agreement provides a basis for the management of issues affecting livestock production and trade, disease surveillance, early warning and early action in the cluster.  

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Uganda’s State Minister for Animal Industry Hon. Joy Kabatsi pledged Uganda’s commitment to its implementation.  “Identification and traceability of our livestock are crucial. We must secure livestock-based livelihoods and incomes of our vulnerable cross-border communities, to build their resilience to drought and many other shocks,” she said.

On his part, FAO Country Representative in Uganda Antonio Querido urged the participating countries to prioritize implementation of the MoU, given its importance to addressing the cross-border challenges affecting the livestock sector. He added, “To pastoralist households in the Karamoja cluster, this MoU means securing food (milk, meat, butter, and cheese) and income. Any effort towards protecting and safeguarding livelihoods is critical towards reducing food and nutrition insecurity”.

Noting that cattle rustling has collectively caused more than USD 6 billion in market losses in the Karamoja Cluster, ICPALD Director, Solomon Munyua applauded the MoU’s signing and the countries’ commitment to monitoring animal movement across the borders, and control of TADs and pests.

The first of the activities in the MoU will be a synchronized animal vaccination exercise scheduled for early August 2019 in Moyale’s border area between Ethiopia and Kenya.

Karamoja Cluster MoU Background

In the past, ICPALD and FAO have organized several regional cross-border meetings for harmonization and coordination of veterinary activities.

Out of these efforts, a bilateral MoU was signed in April 2013 between Kenya and Uganda, after which South Sudan and Ethiopia joined in. This formed the basis for the development of the first draft of the multilateral Karamoja Cluster MoU in 2015.

The ratified MOU builds on the provisions of the Regional Policy Framework on Animal Health (RPFAH) in the Context of Trade and Vulnerability, which was signed by IGAD countries in 2009, and the EAC treaty. It operationalizes the livestock policies of AU-IBAR, IGAD, EAC, in addition to the national policies and legal frameworks of the signatory countries. FAO, the EU, and USAID are key partners in the implementation process.