Lodwar, 29th March 2023 (Governor’s Press Service)– Lutheran World Federation (LWF) is set to collaborate with the Turkana County Government to implement a new education and livelihood programme. This was announced by Mr Girma Gudina, LWF Country Representative for Kenya/Somalia programme, during a courtesy call today on Governor Jeremiah Lomorukai at the County HQ.
According to Mr Girma, LWF will extend programmes to host communities in Turkana and Garissa with a new programme on education and livelihood projects.
He said: “There is a deliberate move to shift focus on the community in Turkana and Garissa. The expansion will focus more on education and livelihood project. The team wish to work with the county government to understand the gaps for resource mobilization and ultimate implementation of the project.”
Governor Lomorukai commended LWF for their 30 years of presence in Turkana as an implementing partner of UNHCR programmes in Turkana West. He also emphasized his government’s commitment to strengthening collaboration with development partners to fill budget deficits and improve the livelihoods of the people of Turkana.
“Turkana has faced one of the most severe droughts which have affected the education sector and transition rates. We are keen to increase livelihood support to address these challenges and appreciate the support from LWF,” he added.
He reiterated his calls for partner organisations to work closely with line departments.
“County Departments have our approval and the space to engage with NGOs and establish coordination mechanisms to implement projects within their sectors. We encourage our partners to adopt joint programme implementation which boosts the success of investments and creates a bigger impact on the community,” the Governor said.
The Governor revealed that his government plans to increase budgetary allocation to the skills development fund to Sh534 million to support students pursuing special skills. He also asked LWF and other partners to complement county efforts to provide bursaries and develop education infrastructure in the county to address the shortage of facilities.
Governor Lomorukai insisted on the need to extend partner programmes across Turkana County to avoid the overconcentration of partners in one sub-county. He called for joint programme implementation between the county government and its partners to ensure that donor funds have a significant impact on the community
Others in the delegation were Jorge Becerra from LWF headquarters in Geneva, Senior Program officer Education in Nairobi Joseph Mutamba and George Okelo: Education Technical Lead, Kakuma.
County Executive for Education Leah Audan and Chief of Staff Peter Yoromoe attended the meeting.
