Kenya
Academic education
Project start: 2020
Project Manager: Dr Calvin Solomon Onyango (veterinarian)
Partner institutions: Egerton University, Pwani University, Kenyatta University, Nairobi University and Maasai Mara University
Targeted courses: Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Animal Health and Production, Certificate in Animal Health and Production
Accreditation of animal welfare training content and inclusion into academic curriculum
In 2014 animal welfare was introduced as a topic into the national curricula for animal health related professional courses in Kenya, but specification of topics, lecturers training and reference material were lacking since. Therefore, a VETS UNITED pilot project started in March 2020 with five universities directly targeting lecturers. The universities selected were Nairobi and Egerton universities due to being the only vet schools in Kenya while Maasai Mara, Kenyatta and Pwani universities were picked as the newest institutions providing degree level training for vet-paraprofessionals (VPPs) in Kenya. In July 2020 a stakeholder meeting was conducted to identify the gaps in the current teaching content in animal welfare and the lecturer’s competency in providing animal welfare training. In December 2020/January 2021 additionally a survey was conducted to identify animal welfare deficits and needs in academic education. The final report was presented at the Kenya Veterinary Association conference in Malindi, September 2021. In December 2023 the VETS UNITED Animal Welfare Teaching Modules were presented to the Kenya Veterinary Board to be approved as recommended teaching materials for all tertiary education institutions offer animal health related courses in Kenya. Approval is expected in the second half of 2024.
Continuous provision of animal welfare training
At the start of the project 2019 most institutions had no dedicated lecturer for animal welfare. VETS UNITED initiated workshops at the 5 selected universities where 2 lecturers per institution were taught to integrate animal welfare content into their subjects. In addition, meetings with stakeholders (e.g. heads of departments, KVA, KVB) were held to emphasize the importance of integrating animal welfare into the training. In 2022/2023 the focus was to engage and motivate the lecturers to teach animal welfare to the students routinely, using the WTS VETS UNITED Animal Welfare Training Modules as one of the core training resources. In 2023/2024 all 5 partner universities appointed one responsible lecturer for animal welfare training. The lecturers are responsible for animal welfare student training at their university, and they are the main contact for the VETS UNITED project at each university. Animal welfare is taught in all five partner universities, lecturers have detailed teaching guidelines and materials and students get exposed to practical training. Currently monitoring is done remotely, and the lecturers are providing the training.
Independent Operation of the animal welfare training by project partners
The training was handed over to the local partners in March 2023. WTS only provides funds for collection of M&E data at the partner universities and for networking and advocacy activities with other education institutions offering animal health related courses to improve their animal welfare training.