Sh1bn health boost for Turkana County as ADRA to sign systems strengthening deal

Turkana County is set to benefit from a major seven-year health systems strengthening initiative after the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) Kenya announced it will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Turkana County Government.

In an interview in Nairobi on Friday, February 13, 2026, Erick Wanga, the Associate Programs Director at ADRA Kenya, said the partnership marks a shift from short-term humanitarian response to long-term, systems-based development programming in the county.

“This MoU formalises our long-term engagement with Turkana County as we move into strengthening health systems in a sustainable way,” explained Wanga.

“We are no longer only responding to crises. We are building structures that will continue serving communities long after the project period ends.”

The new initiative, dubbed Stronger Resilient Health Systems, is a Canadian 10 million dollar (approximately Sh1 billion) project set to run from 2026 to 2032. The program is expected to directly benefit at least 57,000 people, including adolescent girls and boys, women, men, and healthcare providers across Turkana County.

The project will focus on strengthening sexual and reproductive health services, preventing gender-based violence, improving adolescent life skills, and enhancing healthcare service delivery, particularly in hard-to-reach and pastoral communities in Turkana West and surrounding areas.

Under the new approach, ADRA Kenya will work closely with county health facilities to expand outreach services to mobile pastoral communities that often migrate with their livestock and struggle to access static health centers.

“We want services to follow the people,” said Mr Wanga. 

“Even if facilities are well equipped, communities move. Our model ensures health services are organized in a way that reaches them wherever they are.”

A key feature of the project is a community-led planning, monitoring, evaluation and accountability approach. Communities will identify their own priorities, develop action plans, and receive micro-grants to implement locally driven solutions.

For instance, communities may establish small enterprises such as local production of sanitary towels to address menstrual hygiene needs while generating income.

Although health is the primary focus of the new investment, ADRA officials emphasized that livelihood components are embedded within the project to address the broader determinants of health.

ADRA Kenya began working in Turkana in 2014 during a severe drought, initially providing emergency food assistance to affected households.

Over time, the organization transitioned to cash transfer programs and later integrated development initiatives through a humanitarian-development nexus model.

By 2021, ADRA launched its “Together” program, strengthening sexual and reproductive health services and healthcare outreach systems. That program runs through 2027 and has laid the foundation for the new, expanded health systems initiative.

“We started by trucking food during crises,” Mr Wanga said.

“Now we are working toward systems that reduce the need for emergency handouts.”

Alongside the health initiative, ADRA Kenya is implementing additional projects in Turkana, including the SCALE project, which supports sustainable livelihoods through drought-tolerant crops, farmer-managed natural regeneration, irrigation canal rehabilitation, and diversified income generation such as beadwork and high-value crop farming.

The organisation confirmed that the Sh1 billion allocation is specifically for Turkana County, with separate budgets supporting operations in other counties including Mandera, Kitui, Siaya, Kisii and Makueni.

Country Director Nitin Pappachen noted that ADRA Kenya, which has operated in the country since 1984, continues to align its work with county governments as it transitions into more structured development programming.

“Working within government systems ensures sustainability,” he said. “Our goal is to strengthen what already exists so that communities continue to benefit beyond our direct involvement.”

The newly signed MoU is expected to enhance co-ordination between ADRA Kenya and county departments in health, agriculture and environment, creating a framework for long-term collaboration in one of Kenya’s most climate-vulnerable regions.

As Turkana continues to grapple with recurrent drought and development challenges, stakeholders expressed optimism that the strengthened partnership will build resilience and improve essential services for thousands of residents across the county.