Vets sue SRC, county governments over salaries, allowances

The legal dispute comes amid a separate push by veterinary doctors and interns for Parliament to harmonise their salaries and allowances with those of medical doctors, including a review of risk, non-practice, call, hardship and internship allowances.

The Union of Veterinary Practitioners Kenya wants the High Court to address what it describes as failures in staffing, financing and remuneration that have persisted since 2013, when the devolution system began.

The petition, filed at the High Court in Nairobi, centres on the constitutional division of veterinary services between national and county governments. The union says counties are responsible for veterinary services as part of county public health, while the national government handles veterinary policy.

In its petition, the union argues that more than a decade after the 2010 Constitution, counties have not implemented veterinary services as required. It also challenges “a salary dichotomy” and says allowances for veterinary officers have not been properly assessed.

They sued the Council of Governors, the Attorney-General, the Cabinet Secretary for Devolution and ASALs, the SRC, and the Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, while the Kenya Veterinary Association (KVA) is an interested party.

The High Court, however, has struck out the Council of Governors from the case and directed the union to amend its petition and join all 47 counties.

The court found that the union had sued the wrong body over functions assigned to individual counties. It said the Council of Governors is a consultative body created for governors to work together. Its functions include consultation, sharing county performance information, considering common interests, resolving disputes and supporting capacity building.

It does not exercise executive or administrative authority over individual counties, the court said. County governments, headed by governors, remain responsible for functions assigned to them under the Constitution.

“The CoG is a consultative, non-executive intergovernmental body, whereas County Governments are autonomous, distinct constitutional entities,” the court said.

It added that governors could not transfer their county executive powers to the Council of Governors. The court said the counties were necessary parties because the complaints concerned their constitutional and statutory responsibilities.

The union’s case, however, says weak county operations are affecting staffing and resources needed to carry out the work.

The petition cites a 2019 follow-up assessment by the World Organisation for Animal Health, then known as OIE. The union says the assessment found veterinary devolution was not fully operational because of officer redeployment, failure by counties to operationalise services and a moratorium on appointments.

The petition further cites findings from nine counties. It says personnel costs averaged three times operational costs, leaving inadequate money for surveillance, investigation of suspected outbreaks and control of animal movement.

The report recommended additional resources, including laboratories and equipment, according to the petition.

The union also faults the Salaries and Remuneration Commission, saying it had not started a process to assess and advise on proper remuneration for its members.

It is seeking an order requiring the SRC to commence and complete assessment of allowances for veterinary professionals under the SRC Act. It also wants declarations concerning salary differences, inadequate allocations and implementation of veterinary services.

The case is due for further directions on October 5, 2026.

The dispute comes as veterinary pay remains a national issue. Last month, the Kenya Veterinary Association petitioned Parliament seeking harmonisation of veterinary doctors’ salaries and allowances with those of medical doctors.

The parliamentary petition sought review of risk, non-practice, call, hardship and internship allowances. The veterinarians said proposals to harmonize their pay had been made since 2007 without implementation.