The National Gender and Equality Commission has inspected premises at the Bishop Mahon Centre in Lodwar, where it plans to establish its Turkana regional office. 

The inspection followed a courtesy call on the Turkana County Commissioner, Mr Julius Kavita, at his office on Monday 5 October 2026. The Commission briefed the County Commissioner on the office space it had identified.

 FROM ISIOLO TO LODWAR 

Turkana has until now been served from the Commission’s regional office in Isiolo. Speaking in Lodwar the following day, the Chairperson, Hon. Rehema Jaldesa, said the Isiolo office had served the region until last month. The Commission relaunched its Isiolo Regional Office at Barsalinga Towers on 9 September 2026. Turkana is Kenya’s second-largest county, covering about 77,000 square kilometres.

In Kakuma the following day, the Deputy County Commissioner for Turkana West, Mr John K. Oroche, thanked the Commission for establishing a regional office in Lodwar.

The Commission will respond with a deliberate programme to engage men as champions of equality and of the rejection of violence, and with a permanent presence in Lodwar, for which we inspected premises yesterday.” Hon. Rehema Jaldesa, Chairperson, National Gender and Equality Commission.

ENGAGING MEN

 The Commission informed the County Commissioner of a deliberate programme of male engagement. Under the programme, men will be given a platform and trained as champions of equality, non-discrimination and the denunciation of violence. 

The discussions covered gender-based violence and domestic violence, and the public debate on the equitable management of county resources, particularly oil revenue. The County Government had raised the same question in its own meeting with the Commission that morning, when its Chief Officer for Gender called for shareable oil revenue to support the gender agenda. 

Mr Kavita has been at the centre of the national government response to emergencies in the county. He led the delegation that responded to the collapse at the Naduat gold mines in November 2024