Lodwar– 10th April 2025 (Public Communications and Media Relations)

The Department of Health and Sanitation, in collaboration with Catholic Relief Services (CRS), is set to pilot a User Acceptance Testing (UAT) digital tool to identify and address gaps in the upcoming Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) campaign.

This SMC campaign administers anti-malaria medication to children under five years in Turkana Central Sub-county.

The first campaign took place from June to October 2024, with the second round scheduled for the same period this year.

In preparation for the rollout, community health assistants and health promoters have been trained on the use of the UAT tool. The tool will also be used to monitor the campaign’s acceptability and adherence to treatment protocols.

Speaking at the training, the Deputy Director for Health Products and Technologies, Paul Kare, said the tool would enable the program implementers to better understand community health needs.

“As we monitor the campaign implementation in real time, the tool will also assist the department in identifying health gaps and enhance access to improved health services,” he said.

Findings from last year’s campaign indicated a 70% reduction in malaria transmission among the targeted children.

Health Sector Lead at Catholic Relief Services, Dr Edwin Mbugua, highlighted the importance of the SMC dashboard in providing accurate, real-time data and minimizing potential errors.

Members of the Senior and Turkana Central Health Management Teams, along with representatives from Catholic Relief Services and the Clinton Health Access Initiative, were also in attendance.