Lodwar – 25th September 2024 (Public Communications and Media Relations)

The Senior Health Management Team met with the World Food Programme (WFP) to discuss findings from the MEZA tracking tool piloted in 10 health facilities in Turkana Central Sub-County.

The MEZA tool is designed to transform manual record-keeping into an efficient, digital tracking system for health product distribution.

 Gadgets with pre-installed applications were provided to the 10 pilot facilities. The results show that it has significantly reduced wastages due to improved tracking, accurate record-keeping, and reduced losses from mismanagement or pilferage.

The Director for Community Health Service, Dr. Joseph Lolepo, said, “The MEZA tool has improved how we track and manage commodities. It has brought accountability, and I believe it has the potential to be used beyond the health sector to bring efficiency to other departments in the county.”

The tool enables real-time tracking of commodities from the warehouse to the point of issue to the targeted beneficiaries. Before its introduction, facilities faced delays and a lack of visibility in the supply chain. Now, the tool provides accurate, real-time information on the location and status of commodities.

The MEZA tool has also been adopted by the National AIDS and STIs Control Program (NASCOP) in Turkana, where 58 facilities participated. Through this initiative, the county has digitized over 50,000 handwritten patient records.

A final evaluation of the tool is planned for November 2025, where WFP will review its impact to consider broader implementation based on the positive results seen in Turkana Central.

The WFP team present at the review included John Musyimi, Elekia Ochola, Oswald, and Derek Ruths from Charitable Analytics International, alongside a host of county directors.