Lodwar, August 26, 2026 ( Public Communications and Media Relations)
Deputy Governor Dr. John Erus now wants all partners and development actors operating in Turkana to formalise their engagement with the County Government through comprehensive Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs), with in-built grievance-handling mechanisms to address conflicts.
He said locally-based Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) implementing programs on behalf of other development partners are advised to sign an MoU with the Turkana Development Trust (TDT) first, then proceed to sign a similar agreement with the partner they are implementing for.
The County Government currently works with Turkana Development Trust as the umbrella body under which all local organizations and civil societies are coordinated.
Citing past cases where strained relations between national and local implementing partners led to funding cuts and stoppage of interventions, Dr. Erus said it is the targeted local population that ends up losing.
The Deputy Governor spoke at a meeting between Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) and APIR aimed at strengthening collaboration between the two organizations.
The meeting was also attended by representatives of the CSOs network in Turkana.
“Through the Directorate of Partnerships and Resource Mobilisation, we demand that all partners running projects with local CSOs do so within the framework of a comprehensive MoU with an in-built grievance and complaints handling mechanism” he said.
The ADRA team led by Country Director Nitin Pappachen and Program Manager Peter Nguura, lauded the county for creating a mechanism through which fallout between local and national implementing partners could be resolved amicably.
According to Nguura, donor dynamics demand consistent reporting of all actions and decisions by the primary partner and the local CSOs implementing the program as partners .
On his part, APIR Chief Executive Officer Harrison Ekeno echoed the need for transparent relations between the local implementing partners and the primary project implementers.
The APIR CEO welcomed the utilization of the umbrella body of all CSOs to mediate conflicts when they arise.
Deputy Director for Partnerships Mike Aupe, Jerry Ekimwormor (Administration) and Simon Enyapu (Protocol) attended the meeting.
Lynus Nakiporo, Philip Ekolong and Lokiru Lomongin, representing the network of CSOs in Turkana, were also present.
