Lodwar – September 25, 2025 (Public Communications and Media Relations)
The Department of Health and Sanitation through the County One Health Unit has drafted the Turkana County One Health Bill and formed a Technical Working Group (TWG) that will collaboratively address interconnected health challenges, enhance early disease prevention, and intensify responses to outbreaks across remote and cross-borders communities.
The drafting meeting supported by Kenya Red Cross Society will provide the necessary legal foundation for collaboration between human, animal, and environmental health sectors through shared governance and resource allocation. This will drive coordinated action to implement One Health interventions in Turkana.
The Acting Deputy Director Public Health Ismael Ekaran mentioned that by institutionalizing the One Health approach, its legislation will create a harmonized, efficient and proactive system for addressing complex health threats like zoonotic diseases, anti-microbial resistance, climate-related, and environmental health issues.
He also added, “the bill will legally compel multiple sectors to collaborate on tackling one health gaps which will be critical for issues like controlling zoonotic diseases where effective prevention requires simultaneous action in human, animal and environmental health,”
Emphasis on strengthening Social Behavioral Change Communications (SBCC) around Social Health Authority (SHA) was key in the discussions, terming as crucial to promoting health outcomes and preventing diseases with communities empowered to adopt healthier habits.
Director Veterinary Services Benson Long’or mentioned the need for increased investment to accelerate One Health, intensify livestock and human technical interventions in order to enhance sustainability and ownership. He added that with adequate budget, these interventions will be scaled-up.
“Moving forward, we will ensure improved allocation of funds from the county to enhance implementation, sustainability of One Health initiatives to access communities in cross-border points,’’ he said.
County One Health Coordinator Kipkorir Rotich revealed that the county is actively working on formulating the Turkana County One Health Bill that will advocate for own financial resources for enhanced implementation plan for countering health threats, enhancing pandemic preparedness and achieving county’s health security.
The ongoing first phase of the PREPARE project is set to strengthen One Health objectives as it includes findings on the recently concluded knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) survey on community-based surveillance and pandemic response targeting Lokiriama and Nadapal sub-counties point of entry.
Rotich also informed the working group of ongoing interventional research on an enhanced integrated facility and CBS for the anti-microbial resistance affecting both refugees and host communities in Kakuma. The findings are set to be disseminated in October 2025.
The new TWG shared their workplan for the next financial year to stakeholders and development partners in attendance.
In attendance were senior county and sub-county health management, Livestock, environment officerrs, and Registrar of Persons.
The partners representatives from Amref Imarisha Jamii, Danida Transcend Project, Welthungerhilfe, and Kenya Red Cross Society were also present.
