Lodwar, November 25, 2024 (Public Communications and Media Relations)

Turkana County’s Department of Health and Sanitation is set to launch a pilot research project aimed at strengthening community-level nutrition services.

The project, titled “Implementation of an Operational Research Pilot on Integrating Treatment of Acute Malnutrition and Integrated Community Case Management (iCCM) in ASAL Counties of Kenya,” will assess the capacity of trained community health providers to effectively implement iCCM-CMAM protocols.

The 18-month pilot project, funded by UNICEF Kenya and implemented by Save the Children International (SCI), will be conducted in Turkana Central, Kibish, Lokiriama, and Loima sub-counties.

James Lobokan, Director of Policy, Planning, and Monitoring and Evaluation, emphasized the significance of the research in informing future decision-making. “The findings will enable the department to make informed decisions when planning nutrition service interventions,” he stated.

According to the 2024 Turkana SMART Survey, the Global Acute Malnutrition rate in Turkana stands at 21.8%, exceeding the World Health Organization’s emergency threshold of 15%.

Nelson Akutan of Save the Children International highlighted that the research would inform policies for implementing iCCM-CMAM at the community level in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) counties, where children are particularly vulnerable.

The pilot research will also be conducted in Marsabit and Mandera counties.