The Government has pledged to act on the findings of the National Gender and Equality Commission’s mission to Turkana County, Cabinet Secretary Hon. Beatrice Askul Moe said in Lodwar on Thursday.

 Delivering the keynote address at the High-Level Stakeholders’ Forum on Equality, Inclusion and Institutional Partnership in Turkana County on 8 October 2026, the Cabinet Secretary for East African Community, the ASALs and Regional Development said the Government receives the Commission’s account in the spirit in which it was given. She said her Ministry, through the National Drought Management Authority, will ensure that drought support reaches the households that need it most, including minority communities such as the Ilimanyang, women who head households, persons with disabilities and older persons.

THREE QUESTIONS 

The Chairperson, Hon. Rehema Jaldesa, placed three fore the forum: whether public services reach the smallest and most remote communities, whether the county’s oil wealth will be shared fairly, and whether peace and inclusion will advance together. She noted that drilling at South Lokichar resumes on 1 November, that about 3,600 people face compulsory acquisition of their land, and that the Petroleum Act, 2019 reserves five per cent of the national government’s share of petroleum revenue for the community. 

Hon. Jaldesa said learners at a school the Commission visited in Kapua walk about 60 kilometres each way to sit national examinations because the school is not registered as an examination centre. She said she had raised the matter with the Cabinet Secretary and the County Commissioner, and that the Commission would seek a court interpretation of learners’ constitutional rights if it is not resolved. She also said the Commission would challenge in court any police recruitment that excludes women from postings in hardship areas.

The Chairperson declared herself a champion of the Ilimanyang community and announced that the Commission will convene stakeholders, including the National Council for Persons with Disabilities, and hold a medical camp in Turkana with KEMRI so that members can be assessed and registered as persons with disabilities.

 COUNTY LEADERS RESPOND 

The Deputy Governor, H.E. Dr John Lopeyok Erus, who represented the Governor, said the County Government has expanded its social protection programme to include the Ilimanyang community. He called for a roadmap to address inequality as the County reviews its development plan, and for clear policy guidelines to support the implementation of the Refugees Act, 2021 and the Shirika Plan at county level. 

The Speaker of the County Assembly, Hon. Charles Lokioto, called on the forum to adopt a joint action plan with clear timelines and responsibilities, and pledged the Assembly’s support through legislation, oversight and budget allocation. He said the Assembly places women in every committee, that the county gender policy has yet to reach the House, and that county enforcement officers in mining areas need national law enforcement support because they have no powers of arrest. 

Lodwar Township MCA Hon. Ruth Kuya Itabo, the only woman elected to the Turkana County Assembly, thanked the men of Turkana for supporting women’s leadership and called for women leaders to be respected. 

The Chairperson said the new Lodwar office will recruit local staff, and that the Commission and the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties will meet 102 political parties on 14 October on the inclusion of women and special interest groups in nominations.