Kibish – December 21, 2025 (Public Communication and Media Relations)
For years, preventable blindness has quietly affected remote pastoralist communities in Turkana including those in Kibish Sub-County, where access to specialised eye-care services remains limited. Through the Kimormor One Health outreach, eye-care teams brought diagnosis, treatment and life-changing surgeries directly to communities that would otherwise never reach hospital care.
Over the 10-day outreach, 415 people received eye-care services, including screening, treatment and surgery for Trachoma Trichiasis—one of the leading causes of preventable blindness in Turkana County. The services were delivered on site, in clean makeshift theatres in a vehicle, showing complex care can be decentralised when multi-sectoral systems work together.
“I am happy to have the team here today because I will be able to see again,” said Erube Epatakan, a trachoma surgery beneficiary who has already lost sight in one eye. “I came from very far to receive this service, and today my life will change,”
According to Charles Lokitoe, Kibish Sub-County Public Health Nurse and Trachoma Specialist who performed the surgeries, “Trachoma trichiasis occurs when repeated infection causes eyelashes to turn inward, painfully scratching the eyeball and eventually leading to blindness if untreated, early intervention is critical,”
“The procedure takes only 10 to 15 minutes,” he explained. “We turn the eyelid outward to stop the eyelashes from scratching the eye. After surgery, patients receive ointment and are reviewed the next day and again after two weeks. This condition is contagious, but it is preventable through good facial hygiene and access to clean water,”
Lokitoe noted that without Kimormor, most of the patients would never reach a facility capable of performing the procedure. “Kimormor has helped us identify cases and manage them immediately on the ground,” he said.
The outreach is part of a broader county strategy to eliminate Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), particularly trachoma, which once affected nearly half of Turkana’s population.
“Ten years ago, trachoma prevalence in Turkana was about 42 per cent,” said James Ekamais, County NTDs Coordinator. “Today, we have reduced it to below five per cent through sustained outreach, surgery, hygiene promotion and community sensitisation. Kimormor accelerates this progress by allowing us to reach cross-border and hard-to-reach populations,”
Ekamais added that trachoma is closely linked to water, sanitation and hygiene, making the One Health approach critical.
“By integrating eye care with public health education, water treatment, environmental health and animal services, we are addressing the root causes of these diseases, not just the symptoms,” he said.
Coordinating the eye-care services was Samson Lokele, Eye-Care Services Coordinator and Trachoma Focal Person for Kibish Sub-County. He said Kimormor offers a rare opportunity to reach marginalised communities at scale.
“We are happy to be part of this team because we are reaching communities that have been neglected for a long time,” Lokele said. “Trachoma is one of the major causes of blindness in Turkana, and through Kimormor we can operate patients on site, screen children, provide ointment and identify cataract cases for referral,”
During the outreach, the eye-care team conducted four surgeries and screened hundreds more, contributing to Turkana County’s goal of eliminating trachoma as a public health problem by 2027. The services are supported by partners including Sightsavers and the Fred Hollows Foundation.
Lokele emphasised that success depends on trust and proximity.
“This is the only way we can reach cross-border and mobile communities,” he said. “When services come to them, people accept treatment, follow hygiene advice and return for follow-up,”
For beneficiaries like Epatakan, the impact is immediate and deeply personal.
“I could not see well before,” she said after surgery. “Now I know my eyes will see as soon as tomorrow, and I can continue caring for my family,”
