Lodwar- July 3, 2025 (Public Communication and Media Relations)

For the first time, the County Government has inaugurated a10-member County Community Health Services (CHS) Committee, a county-level platform for community health governance structure.

This institution is mainly mandated with governance and oversight, policy and legal alignment, coordination platform, performance monitoring, resource mobilization, and capacity building, and accountability of CHS functions.

The inauguration ceremony was led by the Deputy Governor Dr John Erus and County Executive Committee Member Dr Epem Joseph Esekon, in company of the Chief Officers for Preventive and Promotive services Janerose Tioko and Medical Services Dr Gilchrist Lokoel.

In 2008, the Ministry of Health established a national CHS unit, which was elevated to a Division in 2019 to underscore its strategic importance. In Turkana, a major milestone was achieved in 2023 when CHS was elevated to a stand-alone directorate through an Executive Order. This move signaled high-level commitment to institutionalize and scale up community health.

In his opening remarks Dr Erus stated that their appointment reflects the County Government’s trust in their abilities to serve as oversight of CHS functions.

“This committee is supported by appropriate legislations in fulfillment of CHS framework. Turkana has for a long-time lost lives to preventable diseases with most being young people in their 30s. We cannot have a productive county if we do not take our health systems seriously,”

The County Executive Committee Member for Heatlh and Sanitation, Dr Epem Joseph Esekon highlighted that Community Health Promoters (CHPs) are the first line of defense in the community through early detection and prevention making them key persons in the provision of basic care.

“The institution inaugurated today will ensure accountability of the crucial health services from the grassroot level upwards,”

Dr Lokoel shared that for the county to achieve the universal health coverage objectives, there is need to invest in community health services and strategic partnerships.

“We need to bring these two together towards propelling government’s functions. This committee is plugging into the health system to effectively address any irregularities towards ensuring early disease detection, prevention, and timely treatment,”

On the other hand, CCO Tioko state that health services will be compromised at any given point if the whole sector fails to work together.

“Community health services are the backbone of primary healthcare. CHPs ensure enhanced services at the community level helping improve quality of preventive health services and saving lives,”

Dr Joseph Lolepo, Director of Community Health Services spotlighted that CHS delivers promotive, preventive, and basic curative services—especially in marginalized and hard-to-reach areas.

“This inauguration is a major milestone in advancing Turkana’s health agenda through institutionalized community-level leadership. It will further promote health-seeking behavior and strengthen referrals and linkages to health facilities” he shared.

Dr Erus added “This reflects strong county political will and investment in sustainable, decentralized health service delivery,” adding that, “The committee will work directly with the CHPs and technical partners to ensure effective services.

Acknowledging the previous budget gaps that affected the CHPs, the CECM guided that, “This committee is set up to ensure that previous inadequacies do not re-occur towards a lasting change in service delivery,”

The Chair, Health Committee Hon Bethwel Kobongin acknowledge this milestone taking place for the first time since 2018 urging the department to take care of the CHPs.

“We have a heathy budget with enough resources allocated in the current financial year to ensure uninterrupted health services especially at the community level. We expect to see sustainable results now with a committee in place to oversight and supervise,”

These sentiments were echoed by the Chairperson of the House Committee on Budget and Appropriation, Hon Patrick Napion, “We are committed to ensuring crucial health services are provided to our people including availability of drugs at the facilities,”

Dr Epem emphasized that the health team has the widest reach in the county with the CHPs present in every community allowing for all households to be accounted for.

“We are starting a new chapter. If we truly adopt the CHP model across all departments, we can collect real-time data and effect real-time change through open communication and technology,”

The County CHS unit includes a director, deputy director, 2,671 CHPs, 256 community health unites serving 5,000 people each, 256 community health assistants working with 256 seven-member community health committees, 12 sub-county CHS Focal Persons deployed in all the 12 sub-counties.

Having read the terms of reference to the committee, DG Erus continued to issue each of them their certificates ahead of their assumption of duty.

Present included county health management team and partner representatives from Save The Children, Kena Red Cross Society, Nawiri program, SAPCONE, and AMREF Health Africa’s Danida Transcend project.