Lodwar, September 9, 2026
(Public Communication and Media Relations)
The Drought Resilience Programme in Northern Kenya (DRPNK) on Wednesday sought approval from the County Steering Committee to invest over Sh600 million in water, irrigation and livestock projects in Turkana County for the 2026/2027 Financial Year.
The County Steering Committee comprises the Chair, Chief Officers for Agriculture, Water, Health, Education, Livestock, Trade and Roads, who are mandated to approve annual investment plans for the programme and provide implementation oversight throughout the programme period.
The County Executive Committee Member for Agriculture, Livestock Development and Fisheries, Dr Michael Eregae, who chairs the Committee, said the projects are capital-intensive and a game-changer for the Turkana residents.
“These projects will contribute to the broader county agenda of improving food security and strengthening drought resilience among Turkana residents in Lodwar, Kakuma, Loima and Kalokol clusters,” said Dr Eregae.
He praised the County Programme Coordination Unit that travelled to Turkana West, Turkana Central and Loima sub-counties to meet communities on priorities for the Annual Invesstment Plan III.
County Programme Coordinator Michael Ekwanga presented 135 selected project sites to the committee that were surveyed across all the four clusters of Turkana County through rigorous selection process.
“Out of 135 sites surveyed, CPCU selected 28 projects for 2026/2027 to be implemented until December 2027, when the programme period ends,” said Ekwanga.
He said out of the 28, Lodwar got 10, Loima 10, Kalokol five and Kakuma three, following reconnaissance, validation, ranking, and selection of sites.
After thorough deliberations, Dr Eregae led the Steering Committee to approve the 28 projects for implementation, with members proposing reorganization of projects in Lodwar and Kalokol clusters to strike a balance across all the five wards.
Ekwanga said after the committee’s approval, the project documents will be forwarded to National Programme Coordination Unit, reviews and shares with Joint Programme Steering Committee for approval. The JPSC is composed of the respective governors and the Principal Secretary.
Ekwanga said since the programme started, 17 projects in the previous investment plans have been completed and are already serving residents, while 15 are ongoing at advanced stages of completion.
DRPNK is jointly funded by the German Financial Cooperation through the German Development Bank (KfW) and the Government of Kenya through the Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation and the respective County Governments.
The Programme, implemented in Marsabit and Turkana Counties, aims to strengthen drought resilience and climate change adaptive capacities of pastoral and agropastoral communities in Northern Kenya.
