Students on attachment at the Veterinary Research Institute Lab

About the Institute
The Veterinary Research Institute is one of the Institutes under the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) established under the KALRO Act of 2013. Research on animal diseases in East Africa was first initiated in 1938 when a Central Veterinary Research Institute was established at Kabete. In 1949, it was decided that all the research aspects dealing with the greater East Africa be moved to a new site at Muguga whose construction was completed in 1954. It was then known as the East African Research Organization (EAVRO) under the auspices of the East African Common Services Organization (EACSO) which later became the East African Community (EAC). With the collapse of the EAC in 1977, the Centre was absorbed into the Ministry of Agriculture and renamed the Veterinary Research Department (VRD) and in 1986 it was brought under KARI as the National Veterinary Research Centre (NVRC).

Location
The Institute is about 30 km North of Nairobi off the Nairobi-Nakuru Highway at Muguga in Kikuyu Division of Kikuyu District in Kiambu County. It is at an altitude of 1675 m, latitude 1⁰ 13' S, and longitude 36⁰ 38'  E. The mean annual rainfall is 1200 m and the mean annual evaporation is 1716 mm.

Mandate
The core business of the institute is research geared towards alleviating the impact of livestock diseases and thus contributing to reduction of poverty and improvement of livelihoods and food security in Kenyan households. Priority diseases in the country include Foot and mouth disease (FMD), tick-borne diseases (East Coast fever, Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Heartwater), rinderpest-like diseases (malignant catarrhal fever, bovine viral diarrhoea and peste des petits ruminants), contagious bovine and caprine pleuro-pneumonia (CBPP), capripox virus infections, trypanosomiasis and helminthosis.  The Institute also addresses aspects related to development and validation of novel livestock vaccines. It is estimated that 75% of the pathogens that afflict humans originate from animals, both wild and domesticated. Animal health research will of necessity have to embrace multi-disciplinary approaches in order to have positive contributions to human, animal and environmental health. Packages for management and control of these diseases undergo adaptive research to validate their effectiveness in various agro-ecological zones and livestock production systems

Contacts
Ag Institute Director,
Veterinary Research Institute,
P.O. Box 32-00902 Kikuyu, Kenya
Tel. +254-20-2524616/2519769
Tel/fax +254-20-2020512
email: Director.vsri@kalro.org

Centres
Alupe, Muguga North