Lodwar – April 15, 2026 (Public Communication and Media Relations)

The County Government in partnership with Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) convened a One Health Technical Working Group (TWG) meeting to review progress and enhance preparedness for public health threats along border areas.

The team assessed ongoing One Health interventions, reviewed past activities and aligned stakeholders on priority areas including policy development, disease surveillance, and community preparedness along the borders.

Speaking during the meeting, County One Health Coordinator, Rotich Kipkorir called for scaling of the One Health approach across health facilities in the county.

“There is need to scale up the One Health approach to the remaining health facilities makingabout 93%,” he said adding about 85% of Turkana communities are migratory, which increases their vulnerability to disease outbreaks.

Dr. Erenius Nakadio, Director for Veterinary Services highlighted the impact of previous interventions, noting that community sensitisation and capacity-building efforts under the Kimormor activity, had significantly improved awareness of zoonotic diseases.

“During the previous Kimormor implementation, we sensitized and built the capacity of communities on zoonotic diseases that they should be cautious about. The findings now show that about 98% are aware of these diseases,” he said.

Dr. Nakadio further emphasised the need to develop one integrated reporting tool to be used across the health, veterinary, and environmental sectors to enhance timely reporting and data availability.

On the other hand, Lagat Daniel, Head of Operations at the KRCS-supported Kalobeyei Refugee Operation, stressed the importance of timely data in strengthening disease prevention and response efforts, particularly in cross-border areas.

The KRCS team led by Rukia Abubakar, the Coordinator in Turkana, shared findings from a Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) assessment conducted in Nadapal and Lokiriama. The survey revealed that while community awareness is high, preparedness confidence remains low at 15%, highlighting critical gaps in response readiness.

The assessment was conducted under the phase I Preparedness for Pandemic Response (PREPARE) project, which focuses on strengthening cross-border health security through community-based pandemic preparedness and the One Health approach.

Key discussions during the meeting included an after-action review of the Kimormor activity, deliberations on the One Health Bill and a review of quarterly One Health activities.

Moving forward, stakeholders emphasised the need to establish One Health focal persons at the sub-county level, review and strengthen the One Health Terms of Reference (ToR) to enhance coordination, and fast-track the enactment of the One Health Bill into law.

Participants were drawn from the Department of Health and Sanitation Services, Environment, and Veterinary services. Abdi Jamal from IRC’s Core Group Partners Project and ither KRCS members were also present.