Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform Minister Inge Zaamwani says she will inspect livestock disease checkpoints to assess the need for additional vehicle disinfection facilities amid the Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak.

Zaamwani made the commitment in the National Assembly after Affirmative Repositioning MP Fredrick Shitana raised concerns that vehicles could pass through checkpoints without being disinfected.

"So what will happen in that method that they are passing by before they reach the point where they are supposed to be cleaned? So it's a serious question because I tried all the checkpoints from Mururani here up to, and it's the same thing. Are you perhaps maybe trying to arrange something so that you can put up some measure on the other side before they cross the redline?" queried Shitana. 

The minister explained that existing facilities were designed primarily for vehicles travelling from north to south, prompting concerns about disinfection coverage for traffic moving in both directions.

She said expanding the facilities would depend on available resources, as the ministry's budget remained insufficient to meet all its needs.

"We have obtained additional allocation. It's not even sufficient to address the current needs that we are dealing with. So we are constantly looking for innovative ways to be able to address the situation. But I understand you appreciate what you are saying and look at it, and we'll consider how best we can arrest the situation so that there is no risk of us getting the virus from this side to the other side."

Zaamwani pledged to discuss possible solutions with Shitana to strengthen disinfection measures and minimise the risk of spreading the virus.