The County Assembly of Turkana has engaged key stakeholders in consultations on a proposed Social Protection Policy aimed at strengthening support for vulnerable and marginalised communities across the county.
The consultative meeting, organised by the Assembly’s Committee on Labour, Gender and Youth Affairs, sought input from stakeholders ahead of the policy’s consideration by the Assembly.
Assembly Pledges to Fast-Track Policy
In his opening remarks, Speaker of the County Assembly of Turkana, Rt. Hon. Charles Lokioto Ewoi, acknowledged that the policy had taken considerable time to reach its current stage.
He reaffirmed the Assembly’s commitment to expediting its finalisation to pave the way for adoption and implementation.
Ewoi said the policy would provide a framework for addressing the social protection needs of children, young people, older persons, persons with disabilities, refugees and other marginalised groups in Turkana County.
Five Pillars to Guide Social Protection
The proposed policy is anchored on five key pillars: social assistance, childcare services, adaptive social protection, complementary programmes, and governance and coordination.
These pillars are intended to guide the planning and delivery of interventions for people who require social support.
Committee Chairperson Hon. Alphonse Loteder urged stakeholders to participate openly in the consultations and submit recommendations and proposed amendments to strengthen the policy.
Loteder noted that adopting the policy would provide a framework for relevant county government departments to plan and allocate budgets for social protection programmes.
He said this would help the departments respond more effectively to the needs of the intended beneficiaries.
UNICEF, UNHCR and Other Partners Participate
The consultation brought together representatives from several organisations and government departments involved in child protection, refugee affairs, human rights, education and community development.
Participants included UNICEF, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), represented through its Kakuma Head of Sub-Office, the Refugee Consortium of Kenya (RCK), the Diocese of Lodwar, VNG International, World Vision and the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR).
Other participants represented Echami Aito, Frontier Children Development Organization, the National Government Department of Children Protection, and the County Department of Education’s Directorate of Social Protection.
Their participation provided an opportunity to share expertise and recommendations on how the proposed policy could better address the needs of vulnerable communities.
Focus on Vulnerable and Marginalised Communities
The consultations are intended to strengthen the proposed policy and ensure that it responds to the social protection needs of communities across Turkana County.
The policy is expected to provide a framework for coordinating interventions and guiding county departments in planning and budgeting for social protection services.
Stakeholder input will help inform the Assembly’s consideration of the proposal before its adoption and implementation.
The engagement underscores the role of collaboration between county institutions, government departments and development partners in shaping policies intended to improve the welfare of vulnerable and marginalised residents.
