Lodwar, 19th September 2024 (Public Communications and Media Relations)

Turkana County Government, through its Directorates of Water Services and Public Health, plan to scale up Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) programs aiming to significantly reduce diarrheal diseases caused by poor sanitation and hygiene.

Speaking during the closure of the July-September 2024 quarterly WASH review meeting – supported by Concern Worldwide, Director for Preventive and Promotive Health Alfred Emanman urged partners to intensify and diversify WASH interventions to complement the county’s efforts.

“While cholera outbreaks, even in hotspot areas, remain isolated, we must encourage all WASH implementers to intensify efforts, especially in underserved areas that are still at risk of using unsafe water sources and improper fecal waste disposal,” Director Emanman said.

He emphasized that WASH interventions need to be inclusive, urging the involvement of stakeholders from the education sector, lands, urban management, and National Government Administrative Officers (NGAO) in future WASH forums.

Director Emanman also highlighted the success of WASH initiatives, pointing to data showing a rapid reduction in disease burden as more villages attain Open Defecation Free (ODF) status and gain improved access to clean water.

He expressed satisfaction with the adoption of new WASH reporting and assessment tools, such as the Rural and Urban Sanitation and Hygiene (RuSH) RTMIS, encouraging stakeholders to familiarize themselves with additional tools provided by K-WASH and the Horn of Africa Groundwater for Resilience Project (HoAGW4R).

Tito Ochieng, the focal person for the K-WASH program in Turkana, added that these reporting tools will enhance the county’s ability to track the effectiveness of WASH interventions.

A Project Manager at Concern Worldwide, Natalie Lopeyok, reiterated the need for accelerated WASH interventions to achieve sustainable health outcomes in the county.

WASH forum and the associated quarterly reviews are an elaborate part of Turkana’s water governance systems, aimed at accelerating realization of a water secure county where residents can sustainably access water and sanitation services as envisioned by Governor Jeremiah Lomorukai nine point agenda.

The meeting was also attended by representatives of Turkana’s Water Supply companies, Peace Winds Japan, Team and Team, ISRAID, World Vision, Diocese of Lodwar, Turkana Central Sub County, USAID NAWIRI, Caritas Lodwar, Davis and Shirtliff among others.