Lodwar – November 21, 2025 (Public Communications and Media Relations)
The County Government in collaboration with Welthungerhilfe (WHH) is set to kick-off the implementation of the Strengthening County Resilience against WASH-related Climate Crisis in Turkana (SCORE II) project, which began in July 2025. This is a UNICEF-led project funded by the Korea International Corporation Agency (KOICA).
This was revealed during an inception meeting between the Department of Health and Sanitation and WHH team, where the two parties agreed on a joint implementation pathway for the next two years.
The project aims to address the deficit in water supply infrastructure by constructing community water points and rehabilitating existing boreholes. This will enhance community awareness and adaptive capacity on WASH practices and will benefit approximately 137,100 people across the county.
The Chief Officer for Preventive and Promotive Health Services, Agnes Mana, commended the team and development partners for thegains made in improving WASH.
“Turkana remains among the 15 counties with a high burden of open defecation, but the improvements seen over the last three to five years are undeniable. Some areas have made remarkable progress, proving that our collective efforts are not in vain,” she said.
She emphasized that priority remains service delivery, stating that these gains are a result of strong collaboration, alignment with communities, and co-impelementation with development partners.
The acting Director Preventive and Promotive Health Services, Lucas Edete, noted previous contributions in emergency and humanitarian interventions, and expressed optimism.
“As a county government, we are currently at 41% Open Defecation Free (ODF) status, and I am confident that with the two years of SCORE II implementation, we will make even greater strides,” he stated.
The County WASH Coordinator, Reuben Kipyego, outlined the project’s scope, noting that 620 villages have been earmarked for Climate Resilient Community-Led Total Sanitation (CR-CLTS) interventions, alongside 21 public primary schools and 10 health facilities.
“Out of the 620 villages, 100 from each of the five sub-counties were selected for triggering and certification between July and November 2025. This meeting allows us to review progress ahead of the handover of the remaining 520 villages to WHH for continued implementation,” he explained.
Representing WHH, Cosmas Mwichuma reiterated the organization’s commitment to enhancing access to climate-resilient water and sanitation services in Turkana. He noted that the project will reach an estimated 30,540 people, once 10 boreholes are fitted solar power.
“The project will expand safe, inclusive, and climate-resilient sanitation and hygiene services while improving hygiene behaviors through CR-CLTS across 620 villages. This will include community triggering, follow-ups, ODF verification, certification, and community celebrations,” he added.
