Residents of Kakuma Municipality and neighboring areas have called on the Turkana County Government to prioritise water, healthcare and Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) projects in the 2027/2028 Annual Development Plan (ADP).
The residents made the appeal during a public participation forum on the ADP held in Kakuma on Friday, bringing together participants from Kakuma, Kalobeyei, Lopur, Letea and Nakalale wards.
The 75 participants drawn from 26 villages urged the county government to increase budgetary allocations to the three sectors, saying investment in capital-intensive projects would help improve access to essential services and strengthen the government’s presence at the grassroots.
The forum was held seven days after the county published a notice in a local newspaper inviting members of the public and other stakeholders to submit their views on the proposed ADP.
The engagement brought together members of the public, civil society organisations, special interest groups and persons with disabilities, with their views expected to inform development priorities in line with the Turkana County Integrated Development Plan 2023–2027.
Participants were subsequently divided into groups to review, prioritise and validate projects captured in the proposed development plan.
On water, residents called for the drilling and equipping of additional boreholes in several areas to address persistent shortages.
Philip Eyomo from Nakechurutak in Kalobeyei, Esther Atukon from Kakuma, Loupwal Losia from Naroaibei in Letea and Geoffrey Ekiru from Namon in Lopur proposed additional boreholes at Kangatuknyangayek, Nakechurutak and Loile in Kalobeyei.
They also called for improvements to water infrastructure managed by Kakuma Kalobeyei Water and Sanitation Company (KALWASCO).
Other proposed borehole sites included Naroaibei and Loito in Letea, as well as Kenyangaluk, Nakarengan, Kayarangorok and Kobwin in Nakalale. Residents of Kobwin also called for the completion of an incomplete borehole.
In Lopur, residents proposed the drilling and equipping of a borehole at Atiir-Alounoi to improve access to water.
“We ask our government to budget for more water projects to avoid trekking long distances. Every drop of water will go a long way in saving our lives and livestock,” said Geoffrey Ekiru Elimlim.
Residents also identified healthcare as a major priority, proposing the construction of new dispensaries in Nakechurutak, Kopeito and Kangatuknyangayek.
They further called for Kakuma Sub-County Hospital to be equipped with a biochemistry analyser and urged the county government to complete stalled facilities at Nakarengan, Kobwin, Nakadakach and Lokore.
The residents also requested the completion and full operationalisation of the maternity wing at Lochor-Edome to improve access to maternal healthcare services.
“It is our prayer that one day we will have all services at our doorstep. Walking 20 kilometres to the nearest health facility has made us wanderers in the wilderness,” said elder Philip Eyomo.
Education also emerged as a key concern, with residents calling for the construction of more ECDE centres in villages and pastoral settlements.
“Construct more ECDE centres in our kraals to benefit the young learners currently studying under the trees. This is our future,” said Esther Atukon.
Deputy Director for Budget Simon Wangila, who led a team of county economists and statisticians in facilitating the forum, said the county government attaches significant importance to the ADP and the public participation process.
“The ADP 2027/2028 provides a development framework with strategic interventions and programmes that will guide the government in realizing its socio-economic transformation agenda,” Wangila said.
He noted that the Public Finance Management Act, 2012 requires every county government to prepare an Annual Development Plan as part of the annual budget-making process, pursuant to Section 126 of the Act and Article 220(2) of the Constitution.
Turkana West Deputy Sub-County Administrator Zachariah Etukon also used the forum to alert residents about the anticipated El Niño conditions, urging authorities and communities to identify potential hotspots and develop contingency measures to minimise the effects of flooding and other climate-related emergencies.
The public participation exercise is expected to contribute to the consolidation of community priorities that will inform the final 2027/2028 Annual Development Plan.
County economists Vincent Ekutan, Boniface Echapan and Fanney Aukot attended the forum alongside Senior Chief Cosmas Nakaya, Chair of Professionals Ekai Francis, and ward and village administrators.
