Lodwar – March 25, 2026 (Public Communication and Media Relations)
The Deputy Governor, Dr. John Erus, held a high-level breakfast review meeting with Amref Health Africa to assess the progress, impact, and coordination of ongoing programmes in the county. He was joined by officials from the Department of Health and Sanitation and the Partnerships Directorate.
The meeting provided a platform to share progress, strengthen collaboration, and align interventions with county priorities to improve service delivery, expand access to essential services, and promote community wellbeing.
Amref outlined the focus of its programmes in Turkana.
The Imarisha Jamii programme supports the strengthening of health systems while improving access to HIV prevention and reproductive, maternal, newborn, child health, and nutrition services. The Transcend (Danida) project focuses on promoting healthy lives by encouraging health-seeking behaviour, building institutional capacity, and strengthening monitoring and evaluation systems.
The Tucheze Tustawi programme integrates play-based approaches into early childhood care to support mental health, psychosocial wellbeing, and early childhood development. The Sustainable and Inclusive Water Access (SIWA) project focuses on improving water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) systems, particularly in Turkana West, to enhance access to safe water services.
Speaking during the meeting, Dr. Erus reaffirmed the county’s commitment to partnerships and emphasized the need for stronger documentation and coordination of interventions.
“We appreciate Amref’s continued support in strengthening our systems and improving community wellbeing. There is a need to better document successes to inform learning and scale-up,” he said.
He further highlighted the importance of research and innovation to support evidence-based programming, noting opportunities through Amref International University to build local capacity.
The County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Health, Dr Joseph Epem, called for deeper collaboration and sustainability in partner-supported programmes.
“We encourage co-creation and co-funding of programmes to ensure shared ownership and long-term sustainability,” he said, urging partners to leave a lasting impact through strengthened systems.
Amref’s Imarisha Jamii Chief of Party, Dr. Evans Osembo, noted significant progress in strengthening county systems and expanding access to essential services.
“We will continue working closely with the county to sustain gains and deepen community-level impact,” he said.
The meeting resolved to strengthen coordination mechanisms to improve efficiency, ensure sustainability, and expand access to essential services for underserved communities.
Present were Chief Officers from the Directorate of Medical Services, Dr Gilchrist Lokoel; Preventive and Promotive Health, Agnes Mana; and Resource Mobilization, Partnerships and Donor Coordination, Janerose Tioko, alongside directors.
