NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 7 – Veterinary doctors are pushing for State-funded internships and harmonization of their pay and allowances with other health professionals, as the Kenya Veterinary Association (KVA) warns that underfunding the profession could undermine animal disease control and food safety.
Appearing before the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Labour, KVA President Dr Kelvin Osore said the association had been seeking a review of veterinary doctors’ remuneration since 2007 without a lasting resolution.
“When you look at the classification of occupations in Kenya and internationally, the veterinary profession falls under the health professions, but this hasn’t really reflected in the job grids, salaries or allowances,” Dr Osore told MPs.
The association is particularly seeking better financial support for veterinary graduates undertaking mandatory internships before they can be fully registered to practice.
KVA says veterinary interns currently earn about Sh27,000, which it considers significantly lower than remuneration for comparable health professionals. It is also seeking harmonization of allowances, including risk, extraneous, non-practice and call allowances.
The association says veterinary workers face occupational risks through exposure to infectious diseases and hazards associated with animal handling, slaughter facilities and disease-control operations.
The pay dispute comes as the Government seeks to expand livestock production, which contributes about 42 percent of agricultural GDP and 12 percent of national GDP, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development.
More than 10 million people in arid and semi-arid areas depend largely on livestock for their livelihoods, making access to veterinary services critical to animal health, household incomes and livestock trade.
KVA has also linked the remuneration issue to Kenya’s preparedness against zoonotic diseases, which can spread between animals and humans.
Veterinary professionals are involved in disease surveillance, vaccination, food safety, disease reporting and antimicrobial-resistance control.
Government policy has identified animal health as a priority amid recurrent threats including Rift Valley fever and African swine fever, with stronger surveillance and veterinary capacity forming part of the One Health approach.
The Kenya Veterinary Board reported 4,781 veterinary practitioners in its 2025 registers, while about 60 percent of Kenya’s livestock population is estimated to be in arid and semi-arid areas where veterinary services face logistical challenges.
Osore said KVA had engaged the Salaries and Remuneration Commission, Public Service Commission, National Treasury and the State Department for Livestock Development over the issue.
He said a Government position on harmonization was reached in 2007 and later reinforced through a 2017 National Treasury circular, but implementation remained unresolved.
KVA has now asked Parliament to intervene, warning that continued inaction could eventually lead to industrial action.
