Lodwar – July 29, 2026 (Public Communication and Media Relations)
The County Government has pledged to sustain family-led nutrition interventions following the successful completion of the 18-month R-SWITCH research project, whose findings identified practical approaches to strengthening the prevention and management of child wasting.
Speaking at the close out meeting, Deputy Governor Dr. John Erus reaffirmed county’s commitment to sustaining the interventions, noting that family-based approaches provide a sustainable pathway for improving child nutrition outcomes across the county.
The research found that real-time data improves decision-making and enables faster follow-up of at-risk children. It also demonstrated that two-way communication between caregivers and health workers builds trust and increases the timely uptake of nutrition services.
The findings further showed that digital health solutions enhance case identification, referral, and management of child wasting. Integrating Weight-for-Age Z-score (WAZ) screening with MUAC was also found to improve the detection of children at risk of malnutrition.
The report emphasized that effective referral systems, uninterrupted IMAM services, and strong government-led community ownership are essential for improving treatment coverage and sustaining nutrition interventions.
Strengthening the family-Led MUAC approach through standardized MOH reporting tools, investments in trainings, data reviews, and integration of digital defaulter tracing into the electronic Community Health Information System (eCHIS) were recommended by the stakeholders.
Asumpta, the IRC Technical Advisor, acknowledged the successful partnership, affirming the organization would continue supporting Turkana’s health systems through its ongoing programs and future funding opportunities.
Representing UNICEF, Francis Kidake, Nutrition Specialist, described the research as transformative, noting that its findings will contribute to the development of global policies and guidelines aimed at reducing the burden of child malnutrition
Present at the meeting included County Directors; James Lobokan (Policy Planning Monitoring and Evaluation), Sarah Lokaala (Deputy Director Policy Planning Monitoring and Evaluation), Dr. Joseph Lolepo (Community Heath Systems) and Noelyne Otho (IRC Manager, Lodwar), Titus Leokoe (IRC Nairobi)
