Report a suspected animal disease outbreak (anthrax, foot-and-mouth, rabies)
Directorate of Veterinary Services, State Department for Livestock Development, and county veterinary offices · sources read 2 Oct 2026
Keep the sick animals tied up or enclosed away from other animals, then tell the nearest veterinary officer or livestock officer straight away. The law requires anyone keeping animals to report anthrax, foot-and-mouth, rabies and other notifiable diseases.
- Fee
- We couldn't confirm a fee from the official page. Check it there before you pay.
- Where
- The nearest veterinary officer or livestock officer, usually at your sub-county or county veterinary office.
Steps
- Tie up or enclose the sick or suspected animals and keep them apart from healthy ones.
- Report at once to the nearest veterinary officer, livestock officer or assistant veterinary officer.
- If the officer asks for samples from the animals, or from a carcass, hand them over within 24 hours.
- Dispose of carcasses of infected animals only as the veterinary officer instructs.
Watch out
- Not isolating and reporting a sick animal is an offence, and so is refusing to give the samples asked for.
- Notifiable diseases include anthrax, rabies, foot-and-mouth disease, East Coast fever, lumpy skin disease, sheep-pox, swine fever and tuberculosis, among others.
- Example: Makueni County promises an immediate response to notifiable diseases, free or at varied cost.
Who can apply
- Anyone who owns or looks after an animal that has, or may have, a notifiable disease.
- Veterinary surgeons who suspect a notifiable disease on a farm or in an area.
Official sources (2)
- Animal Diseases Act (Cap 364, Rev. 2012) infotradekenya.go.ke · read 2 Oct 2026
- Citizens' Service Delivery Charter, Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperatives Development makueni.go.ke · read 2 Oct 2026