Lodwar – January 13, 2026 (Public Communications and Media Relations)
The County Government through the Department of Medical Services, led by Dr. Gilchrist Lokoel hosted a joint delegation from Duke/Moi University to discuss areas of partnership and collaboration, with a strong focus on global health, climate change and health systems strengthening in Turkana County.
The delegation led by Professor Wendy O’Meara, Professor of Medicine and Global Health at Duke University deliberated on research, learning and locally led solutions to mitigate against the growing impacts of climate change on health.
Dr. Lokoel reiterated that the County ’s vision of a healthy population, noting that investments in infrastructure, human resources, medical products and technologies, health information systems and governance would be pursued to strengthen service delivery.
“Droughts have become more severe and prolonged, killing livestock, displacing communities and intensifying human–wildlife conflict,” said Dr. Lokoel, adding that climate shocks have undermined community health strategies such as Integrated Community Case Management (iCCM), which had previously helped bring care closer to households.
He highlighted climate-driven malnutrition as one of the most pressing challenges affecting children, but also women, caregivers, and the elderly. While the World Health Organization recommends that malnutrition among children under five remain below 15%, Turkana continues to record rates between 23% and 36% annually, with predictable seasonal trends.
Referencing previous studies, including the Nawiri longitudinal study, he noted that economic shocks worsened by climate change are significant drivers of malnutrition, threatening the county’s economic and social fabric.
Additionally, the CCO called for climate–health surveillance and early warning systems, recommending that climate data be systematically linked to health planning to strengthen preparedness and mitigate climate impacts. He also raised concerns about maternal, neonatal, and child health, noting that Turkana’s maternal mortality ratio stands at 381 per 100,000, while under-five mortality is 66 per 1,000, figures likely to worsen under increasing climate stress and malnutrition.
In her remarks, Prof. Wendy welcomed the opportunity for dialogue, noting the strong potential for research collaboration. “There is a lot to reflect on and think about. The path forward for me is to act as a matchmaker linking Duke colleagues with expertise in areas such as mental health, maternal and neonatal health and climate science to create forums for deeper exchange and collaboration,” she said.
She strongly agreed on importance of locally led, context-appropriate interventions developed with and for the communities served, adding that sustained collaboration could yield impactful solutions.
Concluding the meeting, Dr. Lokoel stressed that research and learning partnerships are critical to generating evidence-driven interventions that can influence policy and safeguard the future of health in Turkana.
“It is through research and learning collaborations that we can produce the evidence needed to bend the arm of policy and secure better health outcomes for our people,” he said.
