The Turkana County Government, in partnership with Amref Health Africa, has trained newly deployed Community Health Assistants (CHAs) and nutritionists in Turkana West on play-based early childhood development and nurturing care.
The sensitisation workshop, held in Lokichoggio on October 30, 2026, brought together 12 Community Health Assistants and 15 nutritionists from Level 2 health facilities.
The training focused on equipping the health workers with the knowledge and skills to promote child development through the five components of the Nurturing Care Framework (NCF) and effectively use the Instructive Manual during routine service delivery.
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The initiative is being implemented through the Tucheze Tustawi project, a partnership between the County Government and Amref Health Africa, with funding from the Lego Foundation.
Running from 2025 to 2027, the project seeks to ensure that children aged zero to three years in refugee and host communities have access to play opportunities that support their well-being and improve their prospects for learning and life.
Training focuses on five components of nurturing care
The workshop forms part of an ongoing training and sensitisation programme aimed at strengthening community-level implementation of the Nurturing Care Framework.
The framework focuses on five key areas: good health, adequate nutrition, safety and security, opportunities for early learning, and responsive caregiving.
Dr. Fatuma Rajab, the County Neonatal, Child and Adolescent Health Coordinator, emphasised that play is essential to children's learning and brain development, rather than simply being a recreational activity.
“Playing is a natural language for kids and how they explore the world. It teaches behaviour and language, heals trauma, and builds bonding and security,” she said.
Reinhard Anzeze, Technical Officer for Tucheze Tustawi, said the project addresses gaps in early childhood development, which he noted had often been overlooked in programming.
He explained that the initiative supports children and caregivers facing multiple challenges by promoting emotional regulation and social skills among children.
Anzeze added that the project draws on community and government support to generate knowledge about play-based learning and demonstrate how children can benefit from learning through play.
Turkana health workers urged to strengthen child development services
The newly trained health workers are expected to work alongside their already trained colleagues, combining community health supervision with nutrition expertise.
Gladys Arika, Director of KISEDP Clinical Services, reminded participants that primary healthcare provides an important opportunity to improve holistic child development outcomes.
She emphasised the role of frontline health services in ensuring that children receive integrated support during their early years.
The report cited figures from the 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS), indicating that Kenya's under-five mortality rate stood at 41 deaths per 1,000 live births, while Turkana recorded 55 deaths per 1,000 live births.
The same survey placed childhood stunting at 18 per cent nationally and 23 per cent in Turkana. Full immunisation coverage among children aged 12 to 23 months was reported at 80 per cent nationally, compared with 50 per cent in Turkana.
The report also highlighted improvements in nutrition support for expectant mothers over the previous year.
The proportion of pregnant women attending antenatal clinics who received iron and folate supplements increased from 58.9 per cent to 86.9 per cent across Turkana County. In Turkana West, coverage rose from 72.4 per cent to 91.4 per cent, exceeding the countywide figure.
Health workers encouraged to promote birth registration
John Ngasike, the Medical Officer of Health in Turkana West, identified households, communities and health facilities as three important channels for delivering play-based interventions.
He urged frontline health workers to strengthen awareness of birth registration, describing it as an important child protection measure that helps establish a child's identity and supports access to healthcare and other essential services.
Meanwhile, data from the Kenya Health Information System (KHIS) showed that the reported proportion of children under five with delayed developmental milestones in Turkana West increased from 0.02 per cent to 0.14 per cent, a sevenfold rise.
The countywide figure remained nearly unchanged.
Senah Yego, Turkana West Health Records and Information Officer, said the increase indicated that healthcare workers were becoming more active in identifying and reporting children with delayed developmental milestones.
He described improved reporting as a positive development, noting that this area of health data had previously received limited attention.
Health workers introduced to practical child development tools
Stephen Ekidor, Turkana West Sub-County Nutrition Coordinator, urged participants to make full use of the tools provided in the revised Mother and Child Health Handbook (MOH 216).
He specifically highlighted the section titled Responsive Care for Early Childhood Development on page 45, which guides caregivers on identifying developmental delays and supporting children through play, communication and emotional care.
Ekidor encouraged health workers to use the guidance when advising caregivers on how to interact with children at different stages, from conception onwards.
The participants also received training on antenatal care, postnatal care, immunisation, and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH).
By the end of the workshop, they had been introduced to the Instructive Manual, practised making play materials from locally available items such as plastic bottles and paper, and learned how to use counselling cards.
The training is expected to strengthen the capacity of frontline health workers to promote nurturing care and play-based early learning among young children in Turkana West.