Lodwar, January 13th 2026 (Public Communication and Media Relations)
County Government and the Office of Foreign Assistance (OFA), has begun a joint review of a US-funded, International Rescue Committee (IRC)-led Integrated Emergency Response Program being implemented in three sub-counties across Turkana.
Deputy Governor Dr John Erus announced this while hosting an OFA delegation alongside teams from IRC county and headquarters offices, as well as representatives from the World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF, who are partners in the intervention.
Speaking during the engagement, Dr Erus reaffirmed the county government’s commitment to support humanitarian and development partners through the creation of an enabling operational environment.
DG Erus described the process as critical in strengthening accountability, learning, and alignment of future interventions with community priorities.
“We all agree that the assessment is an important opportunity to document lessons that can be replicated in subsequent programs, while also informing the design of future initiatives,” he said.
Citing presentations made by county departments co-implementing the program, DG Erus said that preliminary evidence already pointed to positive outcomes, including rehabilitation and upgrading of 18 water infrastructures, improved supply of nutritional commodities, and successful implementation of integrated outreach services, including the Kimormor despite the funding constraints occasioned by the global downsizing of USAID operations
Speaking on behalf of IRC, Turkana Area Manager Joshua Rutto said the review had been structured to generate comprehensive evidence on all aspects of the one-and-a-half-year program, which commenced in June 2024 and is scheduled to conclude in March 2026 following a six-month extension.
Rutto explained that the program’s design and targeting were informed by measurements of malnutrition levels using globally approved indicators to determine the severity of emergency conditions and guide decisions on location, scope, and scale of interventions.
He added that this review would not only inform future programming in Turkana but also provide lessons applicable to other arid and semi-arid counties facing heightened vulnerability due to climate change.
“We expect the findings to guide decisions on scaling up effective interventions and adapting successful approaches for use in other regions experiencing similar climate-induced challenges,” Rutto said.
Chief Officers Janerose Tioko (Partnerships), Agnes Mana (Health), Directors Gabriel Lopodo (Family Health), Joseph Lolepo (CHS), Mike Aupe (Partnerships), Sylvester Seoko (UHC), Erenious Lokadio (Veterinary services), Carlis Elemach (Nutrition) and Ekaran Victorsam ( MD Turwasco) were present.
