MOROTO, May 5, 2026 — A large-scale livestock vaccination campaign was launched in Karamoja Subregion aimed at containing deadly transboundary animal diseases threatening pastoral livelihoods.
Pastoral mobility continues to complicate disease control in the Karamoja, where herders routinely move livestock across vast areas, and sometimes across the Uganda–Kenya border in search of pasture and water.
While policymakers have long advocated for more settled livestock production systems, the reality on the ground remains one of transhumance, with herds converging around scarce resources. This mixing of animals significantly heightens the risk of transmission of infectious livestock diseases.
In response, the Food and Agriculture Organisation [FAO], working with the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries [MAAIF], rolled out a targeted, risk-based vaccination campaign across all districts in Karamoja.
The month-long exercise, implemented under the European Union-funded Pastoralism and Livestock Adaptation to Climate Change in Eastern Africa Programme, has so far covered more than 660,000 cattle, goats and sheep. The campaign is being conducted in two phases, with a total target of 1.2 million animals.
Similar interventions are ongoing in other cross-border clusters under the regional programme, including Bahr el-Arab, Mandera and Mara-Serengeti, reflecting the transnational nature of livestock disease risks.
The vaccination effort targets three of the most serious diseases affecting herds: Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia, Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia and Peste des petits ruminants.
Officials warn that the diseases can have devastating impacts if left unchecked.
“These diseases can be very devastating. If you take the case of PPR, it is a peracute disease that can cause 75 to 80 per cent mortality when it strikes a herd,” said Willington Bessong during a monitoring mission.
The campaign is aimed at safeguarding livestock, a critical economic asset in Karamoja — and protecting the livelihoods of pastoralist communities who depend on them.
Uganda’s Chief Veterinary Officer, Anna Rose Ademun, welcomed the partnership, noting that FAO is providing both vaccines and logistical support for the exercise.
Globally, FAO and the World Organisation for Animal Health have prioritised the eradication of PPR by 2030. Officials say coordinated vaccination campaigns such as the one in Karamoja are a critical step towards achieving that goal.
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